ArcelorMittal says it cannot restart its Kryvyi Rih steel plant after missile strikes

What happened

ArcelorMittal has told the Ukrainian government that it is unable to restart operations at its ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih steel plant “in a safe and sustainable manner”, the company said in a statement on September 25, adding that it did so “with deep regret”.

The decision follows a series of missile strikes. Over the past five weeks the plant was hit four times, most recently on September 21. In total, the attacks killed five people and injured 17 employees, one of whom remains in critical condition. Ukrinform and Reuters describe the facility as Ukraine’s largest steel plant.

How it came to this

The announcement follows two earlier company statements, on August 17 and September 14. According to Kyiv Post, a missile strike overnight on August 16 killed two workers, injured 13 others and damaged key energy and blast-furnace units.

On September 13, the company said, a ballistic missile struck the plant again, this time hitting the area of ironmaking complex No. 1. Two contractors were killed and two employees injured. ArcelorMittal said at the time that primary steel production had been halted and the rest of the site was either idled or running at minimum levels. The fourth and latest strike came on September 21.

What happens to the plant and its people

Mauro Longobardo, CEO of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, said the company is discussing the plant’s future with the government and will focus on preserving the infrastructure, so that restarting production remains an option “when peace finally returns”. Of the staff who kept the mines and plant running since the war began, he said: “They have been the embodiment of bravery, in circumstances most of us cannot begin to imagine.”

According to Reuters, the plant employs about 12,500 people plus 3,500 contractors. A company spokesperson told the agency it is assessing how many staff it needs to preserve the site, maintain security and keep essential functions going, and will work with employee representatives and local management on measures to support workers.

The cost

The company says it has provided more than $700 million to keep the Kryvyi Rih operation running. It now expects to book a non-cash impairment charge of about $1 billion, mainly reflecting the lower value of the plant’s property and equipment. For scale, the group as a whole, present in 60 countries, reported revenues of $61.4 billion in 2025.

Why it matters for Ukraine

Kyiv Post, citing Forbes Ukraine, reports that the plant produced 1.7 million tonnes of steel in 2025, 23% of Ukraine’s output, second only to Zaporizhstal. It is a full-cycle producer: it mines its own iron ore (7.6 million tonnes in 2025, Reuters says) and makes long products such as rebar and wire rod, exporting mainly to the EU, the Middle East, North Africa and the US.

Reuters notes that steel once accounted for 15% of Ukraine’s exports. According to Forbes Ukraine figures cited by Kyiv Post, the country’s three main steel plants, which together made about 90% of its steel, have now halted after repeated missile strikes. A Kepler Cheuvreux analyst told Reuters the impact on ArcelorMittal itself and on global markets should be limited, as Kryvyi Rih had been running at significantly reduced capacity since 2022.

Background

In May the plant had already shut a blast furnace, two sinter machines and an ore-processing plant, blaming logistics problems and poor service from state railway Ukrzaliznytsia. The railway called that statement blackmail.