On the night of 5 September, russia launched a ballistic missile strike on Kamet Steel in Kamianske, part of our steel company Metinvest. The attack killed five people and injured four employees. Key production facilities and infrastructure were damaged, forcing the plant to halt all production processes. This is yet another attack on a civilian Metinvest steelmaking asset and further evidence of russia's systematic strikes against Ukraine's industrial base.
The enemy used tactics it has already employed in attacks on Ukrainian industrial enterprises: only a few minutes passed between the air-raid alert and the missile strike, leaving insufficient time for all employees to reach shelters.
Oleksandr Myronenko, chief operating officer of Metinvest Group, commented on the consequences of the terrorist attack:
"The terrorist state has not stopped its brutal attempts to bring the Ukrainian economy to a halt. There were no military targets, military equipment or military production at Kamet Steel. Civilians worked here, producing pig iron and steel exclusively for civilian purposes. This did not stop the aggressor, which, unable to achieve a military victory on the battlefield, has switched to a tactic of terrorising civilians and civilian enterprises. Sadly, in recent months, the Metinvest family has been going through the most difficult period in its 20-year history. Our thoughts are with the families of our colleagues who were killed and injured, and we are providing them with every possible assistance."
The attack damaged the plant's sintering and blast furnace operations, as well as its energy and transport infrastructure. The plant was forced to halt all production processes. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, and the timeframe for resuming production is currently unknown.
The russian attack claimed the lives of five people: four employees of the plant and one employee of a contractor. Metinvest and Kamet Steel express their sincere and deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who were killed. SCM shares in their grief and extends its condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of everyone who was killed, and wishes a full and swift recovery to those who were injured.
Four other employees of the plant sustained injuries of varying severity. All those injured promptly received the necessary medical assistance and were then placed under doctors' care. The plant is providing them with all necessary support and assistance, remains in constant contact with them and their families, and is monitoring their condition until they make a full recovery.
Urgent rescue and recovery work is currently under way at the plant. Once the debris has been cleared, specialists will gain access to the damaged areas and will be able to carry out a full inspection of the equipment and infrastructure to assess the extent of the destruction and determine possible next steps towards restoring production. The timeframe for restoring and restarting production processes is currently unknown.
Today, a Day of Mourning has been declared in Kamianske for the victims of the russian attack. Flags have been lowered at Metinvest Group enterprises as a sign of mourning for those who were killed.
