Key facts
- Russian missile strikes hit two major Ukrainian metallurgical plants overnight on Sept. 12.
- Two people were killed and six injured in the strikes.
- The Zaporizhstal plant in Zaporizhzhia sustained critical damage.
- The ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih plant also suffered damage and casualties.
- Both plants are civilian enterprises and do not produce military goods, according to their operators.
Russian missile strikes hit two major Ukrainian metallurgical plants overnight on Sept. 12, killing two people and injuring six others, according to statements from Zaporizhstal operator Metinvest and ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih.
In Zaporizhzhia, four ballistic missiles struck the Zaporizhstal steel plant, injuring four employees and causing what Metinvest described as critical damage. The attack was the third ballistic missile strike on the plant in a month, and Zaporizhstal had not resumed production following previous strikes. Metinvest Chief Operating Officer Oleksandr Myronenko stated that Zaporizhstal produced pig iron and steel for civilian needs and did not manufacture products for military purposes. The strike damaged equipment in the plant's blast furnace and open-hearth shops, as well as its energy systems, internal networks, and logistics infrastructure. Three of the injured workers were taken to hospitals with moderate injuries.
Separately, a Russian missile strike hit the ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih steel plant, killing two employees of contractor companies and injuring two plant workers, the company said. Production and auxiliary facilities were damaged, and rescue and search operations were ongoing. ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih noted that the facility is a civilian mining and metallurgical enterprise.
The attacks on the two plants were part of a broader wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine overnight on Sept. 12 that killed at least 11 people and injured 96 others.