Russian strikes hit 2 major Ukrainian steel plants, killing 2 and injuring 6

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, following earlier attacks on Aug. 11 and Aug. 27. Zaporizhstal had still not resumed production following the previous strikes, according to Metinvest.

"Zaporizhstal produced pig iron and steel for civilian needs. The plant did not manufacture products for military purposes and did not host anything on its territory that could make it a military target," Metinvest Chief Operating Officer Oleksandr Myronenko said.

"Even this did not stop another attack," he added.

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, Metinvest said.

One of the four injured workers received treatment at the plant and declined hospitalization, while three others were taken to hospitals with moderate injuries.

"The scale of the destruction is increasing with every strike," Myronenko said. "It is not yet possible to fully assess it, but preliminarily we consider the damage critical."

Separately, a Russian missile strike hit the ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih steel plant, which is in the city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovks Oblast, overnight — killing two employees of contractor companies and injuring two plant workers, the company said.

Production and auxiliary facilities were damaged, while rescue and search operations continued at the site. The company said specialists were assessing the extent of the damage and possible timelines for recovery.

ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih noted that the facility is a civilian mining and metallurgical enterprise.

The plant has been hit repeatedly during Russia's full-scale war. A December 2022 strike killed one employee and destroyed a rolling mill, while another attack in August 2026 killed two plant employees and one contractor and injured 18 others, damaging key energy and blast-furnace facilities and partially halting production.

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. Odesa Oblast was the main target of the overnight missile and drone attack, while deadly strikes were also reported in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kharkiv oblasts among others.