According to him, the Russian strikes have practically destroyed all the operating furnaces at metallurgical enterprises.
"What is happening now is not just a difficult or critical situation, it is a tragic situation, when an industry that is over 150 years old produced zero steel last month," Kalenkov stated.
The head of the association called on the government to reduce taxes for idle enterprises and to protect employees from mobilization, in order to prevent the final shutdown of the industry.
It should be noted that, according to statistics published by the "Ukrmetallurgprom" association, steel production did take place in Ukraine in September. Although it decreased sharply: 131,000 tons were produced, which is 52.7% less than in August and 4.6 times less than in September 2025.
However, the situation may be even worse in October, as the largest Ukrainian metallurgical plant, ArcelorMittal in Krivoy Rog, has already announced a complete halt to production. The Zaporozhstal plant has also announced the cessation of steel production.
According to sources at "Strana" in the industry, the main reason for the production stopping is not so much the Russian shelling, but the blockade of maritime exports, which makes further steel production meaningless for owners, as there is nowhere to sell it – the domestic market in Ukraine is minimal.
🔴@DDGeopolitics