The Azovstal steel and metallurgical factory in Mariupol, one of the largest in Europe, was severely damaged by Russian attacks, Ukrainian officials reported on Sunday.
“One of the most important metallurgical industries in Europe is destroyed. The economic losses for Ukraine are immense,” said MP Lesia Vasylenko, who posted on her Twitter a video showing thick plumes of smoke above the industrial complex.
Another MP, Sergey Taruta, wrote on his Facebook page that Russian forces besieging Mariupol “have virtually destroyed the factory”.
The CEO of Azovstal, Enver Tskitishvili, said in a video message on Telegram that the company had taken preventive measures at the plant since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24 to prevent any damage to the environment.
“Coke oven batteries no longer pose a danger to the lives of the inhabitants. We also correctly paralyzed the blast furnaces,” he said.
“We will return to the city, rebuild and revive the company,” he added, without specifying the extent of the damage.
The Azovstal factory in Mariupol belongs to the Metinvest group, controlled by the richest man in Ukraine, Rinat Akhmetov.
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