Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal-owned steel plant in Ukraine hit by Russian strike

In an overnight Russian missile strike, the Indian-origin billionaire Lakshmi Mittal’s steel plant ArcelorMittal was hit in Ukraine’s Kryvyi Rih. The strike killed 2 people while injuring 14 workers of the steel giant, reported news agency Reuters.

The attack aimed to damage major power-generation and blast-furnace facilities at Ukraine’s largest steel plant in the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It attacked the largest steel plant in the country, forcing the plant to partially suspend its production processes, Arcelor Mittal said in a statement on Telegram, as per Reuters.

“As a result of the attack, key production facilities in the power generation and blast furnace sectors have been damaged, and the plant’s production processes have been partially halted,” the company said.

The strike came as Russia and Ukraine stepped up long-range attacks, with both sides launching hundreds of drones at energy, industrial and military targets far from the front lines.

The attack on the Kryvyi Rih plant was part of a continued overnight barrage in Ukraine. While strikes in other areas killed several people, the Russian attacks also sparked fires in Kyiv and injured many civilians.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a social media post that Russian forces were continuously targeting the civilian infrastructure.

“Wherever the Russians can reach with their ballistic missiles, they strike civilian infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said, according to the report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces had launched more than 1,550 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided aerial bombs and 62 missiles at Ukrainian cities over the past week.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its latest strikes targeted the metallurgical plant in Kryvyi Rih as well as the military-industrial facilities in the capital. The ministry also claimed that Russian air defences had intercepted 822 Ukrainian drones during the latest series of attacks on Russia.

ARCELORMITTAL CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRES

Under the control of billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is one of Ukraine’s most important industrial facilities.

The latest strike could further disrupt industrial activity in a place that has faced repeated Russian attacks since Moscow launched its massive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The plant has relied heavily on a steady power supply and other critical infrastructure. As a result, any damage to its energy systems and blast furnaces becomes particularly significant.

The strike came as Ukraine also intensified its drone attacks deep inside Russian territory, marking a further escalation in the long-range conflict between the two sides.

UKRAINE’S DRONE ATTACK ON RUSSIA

A warehouse operated by Wildberries, Russia’s biggest online retailer, was also struck in Podolsk, Reuters reported. Video footage reviewed by Reuters has shown a large column of smoke rising from the facility.

Kyiv has stepped up its use of long-range drones against targets inside Russia, including oil refineries, military sites and other infrastructure it says is helping sustain Moscow’s war effort.

In another incident, a drone strike hit a bus near the southern city of Belgorod, killing 1 person. Ukrainian forces also claimed to have targeted a facility producing missile fuel in Russia’s Rostov region.

Meanwhile, Romania’s Defence Ministry said an F-18 fighter jet operated by Spanish forces on a NATO air-policing mission shot down a drone after it crossed into Romanian airspace from the direction of Moldova.

A NATO spokesperson has said that the drone was believed to be Russian, reported Reuters.

The incident marked the fourth time this year that Romania has reported a similar breach of its airspace, as Russian attacks on Ukraine have intensified near the country’s border.

With peace talks making little progress and the front lines largely unchanged, both Russia and Ukraine have increasingly turned to long-range missiles and drones to hit targets deep inside each other’s territory.

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