Southern GOK Partially Suspends Operations Due to Russian Attacks on Ports

The Southern Mining and Processing Plant in Kryvyi Rih has begun a process of partially suspending mining operations and temporarily scaling back production activities. The main reason was the deterioration of the security situation for maritime logistics due to systematic hostile attacks in July 2026 on civilian vessels heading to Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.

Due to the inability to export iron ore—several shiploads of which have already accumulated in warehouses and ports—the plant is forced to temporarily halt mining operations. 

The company plans to resume operations in August 2026 and, during the forced downtime, will assign employees to perform repair and maintenance work. The staff of the Southern Mining and Processing Plant also appealed to the government to strengthen the protection of port infrastructure and civilian shipping.

This was reported by the company’s press service.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs summoned Vladimir Ladanov, the chargé d’affaires for Russia, expressing “unequivocal condemnation” of the Russian strike on the civilian dry cargo ship MV Golden Leo near the port of Odesa. Ten people were killed in the attack, including four Indian sailors and a Ukrainian pilot. 

The Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine emphasized that such attacks pose a danger to international shipping, undermine the stability of global trade, and threaten global food security.