The economic losses incurred by Ukraine due to the shutdown of the metallurgical industry as a result of Russian attacks have been calculated

As a result of systematic shelling by Russia, Ukraine’s steel industry is on the verge of a shutdown: about 90 percent of steel production is currently at a standstill, and in the worst-case scenario, losses to Ukraine’s economy could reach 6.5 to 7 percent of gross domestic product. 

Since the beginning of 2026, Russian troops have attacked enterprises in the mining and metallurgical complex at least 30 times, resulting in seven blast furnaces being damaged or destroyed and the deaths of 18 workers. According to industry representatives, September saw a week when, for the first time in a century, not a single metric ton of steel was produced in Ukraine.

According to estimates by the “Ukrmetallurgprom” Association of Enterprises, the crisis in the metallurgical industry could cost the state between 5 and 7 billion dollars in foreign exchange earnings and at least 30–40 billion hryvnias in budget revenues. Since one job in the steel industry creates up to eight jobs in related sectors, the shutdown of steel mills will deal a critical blow to transportation, energy, machinery manufacturing, and logistics, and will also deprive the budgets of frontline cities—particularly Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia—of significant tax revenues. To ensure the industry’s further recovery, the top priorities remain ensuring site safety, retaining skilled personnel, and maintaining stable logistics.

Source: Forbes Ukraine.

In Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, the Zaporizhstal steel mill, which employs 8,500 people, has been shut down indefinitely following four waves of Russian missile strikes. Two attacks occurred in August, and two more in September.

The Ukrainian steel industry is in a critical state due to the consequences of the Russian attacks. There was a week in September when not a single metric ton of steel was produced in Ukraine.