Russian strikes halt 90% of Ukraine's steel output, risking 7% of GDP

Russian attacks have halted approximately 90% of Ukraine's steel production, potentially costing the economy up to 6.5-7% of GDP in the worst-case scenario, according to Forbes Ukraine. Since early 2026, Russia has attacked key metallurgy enterprises at least 30 times, damaging or destroying seven blast furnaces and killing 18 workers. In September, Ukraine produced no steel for the first time in 100 years. The industry provided $6.2 billion in exports and 5.5% of GDP in 2025. Each metallurgy job supports 7.5-8 jobs in related sectors, and the crisis threatens $5-7 billion in currency revenue and 30-40 billion hryvnias in budget income. Companies are negotiating with the presidential office, while unions urge paid downtime instead of layoffs to preserve skilled workers for future recovery.