The shutdown follows two attacks in August and two in September that targeted the facility, which is owned by the Ukrainian steel conglomerate Metinvest. Chief operating officer Oleksandr Myronenko told the BBC that eight workers were killed and 31 wounded during the campaign. "We're now clearing rubble and trying to plan recovery," Myronenko said, though he acknowledged it is far from certain the plant will ever restart.
Denys Maksyshko, a long-time employee, described the devastation. "All the equipment has been almost completely destroyed. There are no windows left, and there are holes in the roofs. The blast furnaces have been almost completely ruined," he said, adding that Zaporizhstal is not just a big company but "the heart of the city."
The attacks represent a severe blow to Ukraine's already struggling steel industry, which was a pillar of the national economy before the war. Zaporizhstal alone poured millions of tonnes of steel annually, supporting a supply chain of local businesses. The indefinite suspension of operations means thousands of families in Zaporizhzhia now face an uncertain future, with the plant unlikely to resume production while the threat of further missile strikes persists.