“In May, Ukrainian Steel Industry Have Not Produced even 20% of the Last Year’s Volume,” Chair of Ukraine’s Federation of Metallurgists

The output of Ukraine’s iron and steel sector went down severalfold due to russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sergii Bilenkyi, Chair of the Board of the Federation of Metallurgists of Ukraine, made this statement during his briefing at Media Center Ukraine.

“If we look at 5 months of this year and compare them to 5 months of the previous year, we can see that the volumes more than halved. For example, in May, the output of cast iron, steel, and rolled stock hardly reaches 20% of the volume produced in May 2021,” Sergii Bilenkyi said.

According to him, the reason is that two huge steelworks are located in temporarily occupied Mariupol.

“The steelworks are mothballed and damaged. The extent of damage cannot be determined due to the lack of access to these areas. Other steelworks do not operate at their full capacity as well,” the Chair of the Board of the Federation of Metallurgists explained.

According to him, even the products that have been made can hardly be exported abroad.

“All seaports are blocked; the railway offers the only transportation opportunity we have. However, there is huge competition against other sectors, including grain growers. Thus, the situation is complicated, but we hope for the best – for its gradual stabilization,” Bilenkyi stated.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news