Russian missiles hit two Ukrainian steel plants, killing two workers

Two industrial sites struck overnight

Russian missile strikes hit two major Ukrainian steel plants during the night of September 12, killing two contractor employees and injuring six other workers. Four ballistic missiles struck the Zaporizhstal plant in Zaporizhzhia, while a separate missile hit the ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih complex in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The attacks were part of a broader Russian overnight barrage across Ukraine, but the direct damage to two large civilian industrial sites constitutes a distinct economic and infrastructure development.

At Zaporizhstal, operator Metinvest reported critical damage to equipment in blast-furnace and open-hearth operations as well as to energy systems, internal networks and logistics infrastructure. Four employees were injured; three were taken to hospital and one received treatment at the plant. Production had not resumed after earlier missile attacks in August, leaving the company unable to give a complete damage estimate or a recovery schedule.

Deaths and disruption in Kryvyi Rih

At ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, the company said two employees of contracting firms were killed and two plant workers were injured. Production and auxiliary facilities sustained damage while search, rescue and assessment work continued. Both operators described their facilities as civilian mining or metallurgical enterprises. The available reporting does not establish a Russian explanation for selecting either plant, so their civilian status should not be converted into a claim about the attackers’ intent.

The strikes matter beyond the immediate casualty toll. Steel plants are energy-intensive industrial anchors, connected to regional employment, freight networks and export earnings. Repeated damage can suppress production even when individual furnaces or workshops survive, because electricity, internal transport and safety systems must function together. Zaporizhstal’s inability to restart after previous attacks illustrates how repeated strikes can compound losses rather than create isolated repair bills.

NATO’s September 10 assessment provides strategic context without independently confirming these specific missiles. The alliance said Russia continues to strike Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure and urged allies to expand defence production and sustain air-defence support. NATO highlighted Germany’s delivery of Patriot interceptors and the wider effort to replenish equipment and ammunition supplied to Ukraine.

What follows will depend on damage surveys, worker-safety inspections and the availability of replacement power and production equipment. ArcelorMittal and Metinvest have not yet supplied full restoration timelines. Further attacks could also alter estimates. For now, the verified outcome is that Russian missiles struck both plants, killed two contractor workers, injured six people and inflicted new damage on Ukraine’s already constrained heavy-industrial base.