Ukrainian mining and metallurgical enterprises are operating at only 15-20% capacity.
According to Ukrmetallurgprom, problems in the industry began in 2014, when Ukraine lost industrial enterprises in the east due to the Russian occupation of the region. It forced the industry to reroute logistics. However, the industry suffered a devastating blow in February 2022 with the start of the Russian invasion. The production decrease started in the first days of the war because many metallurgical enterprises were in areas of active hostilities: Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia, and Kryvyi Rih. Since the industry has always been export-oriented, its work is greatly influenced by the global economic crisis. Prices on global markets began to fall, and logistics costs have increased four to five times since the beginning of the war. In addition to the production cost increase, it is impossible to deliver products to customers due to the seaport blockade brought about by the war, stated Ukrmetallurgprom.