Russia strikes Zaporizhstal plant with four ballistic missiles, people injured
Photo: The enemy is trying to destroy Zaporizhstal plant (Getty Images)
On the night of September 12, Russian forces attacked Zaporizhstal plant with ballistic missiles for the third time in a month. Four enemy missiles struck the plant's production area. The facility has not resumed operations since previous strikes on August 11 and 27, according to Metinvest.
Four employees of the plant were injured in the attack.
In effect, Russia continues to strike a civilian industrial facility that is already out of operation. The enemy is deliberately damaging production capacity, jobs and Ukraine's economy.
Metinvest Chief Operating Officer Oleksandr Myronenko emphasized that Zaporizhstal produced pig iron and steel exclusively for civilian needs.
Consequences of the Russian attack on Zaporizhstal on September 12 (Photo: metinvestholding)
According to him, the plant did not produce military products and had no facilities on its premises that could have made it a military target.
The plant has not resumed operations since the previous missile strikes on August 11 and 27. Despite this, it came under attack again on the night of September 12.
"Fortunately, there were no fatalities this time, but four of our employees were injured. This is the systematic destruction of Ukraine's civilian industry, its economic foundation and the people who keep it running," Myronenko said.
Consequences of the Russian attack on Zaporizhstal on September 12 (Photo: metinvestholding)
According to him, the scale of the damage increases with each new attack. It is currently impossible to make a final assessment of the damage, but preliminary estimates classify it as critical.
The latest enemy strike damaged:
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the main and auxiliary equipment of the blast furnace and open-hearth shops;
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the plant's power system and networks;
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logistics infrastructure.
Since the plant had not resumed operations after the previous attacks, there is no threat of a man-made disaster. In addition, significantly fewer employees were on the premises at the time of the strike.
Work to deal with the aftermath of the attack and inspect the damaged facilities is currently underway at Zaporizhstal. Once this work is completed, specialists will be able to assess the nature and extent of the destruction more accurately.
Importantly, Russia is stepping up attacks on Ukrainian steelmaking plants while continuing to supply its own products to global markets, including EU countries.
Moreover, it has become known that steelmaking plants are suffering because of excessively high electricity prices.
