The general director of Kametstal, Oleksandr Tretiakov, said the situation in Ukrainian metallurgy is the most difficult since the Second World War: the plant in Kamianske stopped after a strike on 5 September. Kametstal provided over a quarter of Ukraine’s steel production in 2025.
Plant shutdown and production activity
After a strike by five ballistic missiles on 5 September, the plant in Kamianske ceased steel and pig iron smelting. The enterprise supplied products to the domestic market, including for construction, as well as semi-finished products to Metinvest’s European facilities.
The stoppage has already affected related sectors: construction, mechanical engineering, mining, energy and logistics. According to Tretiakov, companies that depend on the plant may reduce staff or suspend operations.
Impact on industry metrics and assessments
Tretiakov reminded that the sector previously accounted for about 6% of Ukraine’s GDP and added: “It did. Now — zero.” He called the current situation the toughest since the Second World War.
Metinvest warns that reduced access of Ukrainian steel to the European market due to EU trade restrictions could complicate any future recovery of production.
Export and logistics problems
Russian attacks on Black Sea ports and shipping have sharply curtailed export capacity: in August the number of ship calls to Ukrainian Black Sea ports fell by about 90% year on year, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence. As a result, some cargoes are being redirected to the Danube and overland routes.
Rerouting makes logistics more expensive and constrained by capacity, which further hits industry and the agricultural sector. Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) is taking a separate blow, as it depends heavily on transporting metal, ore and other industrial freight.
