🚨🇷🇺 Two Mills, Five Blows: Russia Hits Ukraine’s War Economy at Its Core Five days apart, Russian strikes suspended production at Zaporozhstal and partially halted ArcelorMittal Krivoy Rog. Together, the two largest steelworks under Kiev’s control produced 4.9M metric tons of steel in 2025—about two-thirds of the national total. The plants sit at five pressure points of Ukraine’s war economy. First, steel production. Zaporozhstal supplies flat-rolled products, while ArcelorMittal is Ukraine’s largest producer of rebar and wire rod and also mines and processes iron ore. Disrupting both constrains several industrial chains at once. Second, taxes. The companies paid a combined $280M to Ukrainian budgets in 2025. Zaporozhstal alone transferred more than $22M directly to city and regional authorities. Third, foreign currency. The two mills generated an estimated $1.85–1.9B in export earnings last year—more than half of the $3.34B earned by Ukraine’s entire ferrous-metals sector. Every week of downtime cuts the hard currency available to finance imports. Fourth, military supply. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the Krivoy Rog workshops produced rolled steel used for weapons and military equipment. Zaporozhstal belongs to Metinvest, whose Steel Front initiative has delivered 309 anti-drone screens for armored vehicles and air-defense systems, built protection for a Patriot command module and helped construct more than 200 km of fortifications. ArcelorMittal’s rebar and wire rod have also been used in defensive works. Fifth, local defense financing. Both companies support the budgets of Zaporozhye and Krivoy Rog, which finance fortifications. The effect is particularly direct in Zaporozhye, around 20 km from the front: the shutdown reduces both local revenue and access to steel for defensive construction. Ukraine was already dependent on foreign metal. It imported 1.6M tons of rolled and semi-finished steel in 2025—40% of domestic consumption. If the shutdowns persist, replacing the lost output will consume more foreign currency and place additional pressure on rail and port logistics. Two plants connected steelmaking, export revenue, taxation, military supply and frontline construction. Russia has placed all five functions under pressure at once. @NewRulesGeo❗Follow us on X