Russian destruction renders Avdiivka Coke Plant irreparable, says Metinvest CEO
Russian shelling has inflicted such extensive damage on the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant that its restoration after the war seems impossible, Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest (a group of steel and mining enterprises), said in an interview with Forbes on Dec. 18.
"The plant is under the control of the Ukrainian army,” Ryzhenkov said.
“It has been repeatedly shelled by Russia. They fired at it with everything they have."
Ryzhenkov expressed doubt that the plant would need to be reconstructed in the same form as before the full-scale Russian invasion.
While Azovstal and the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works were major consumers of coke from the Avdiivka coke plant, their restoration "is not discussed in the foreseeable future until we return to Mariupol."
The company intends to rebuild Azovstal, but it will be a fundamentally different facility, he said.
Ryzhenkov said that post-war Mariupol would retain its metallurgical industry, but it would no longer be the city's foundation. He envisions Mariupol transitioning into a resort town after the war, with tourism becoming its primary economic sector.
“There is also potential in machine building, shipbuilding, and science," the CEO said.
Earlier it was reported that 12 civilians who had been hiding in the plant since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine were evacuated.
The head of Avdiivka’s military administration, Vitaliy Barabash, said that Oct. 10 saw “probably the largest attack on the city in the entire full-scale war,” but that the situation was under control.
Read also: Ukrainian troops face artillery shortages, scale back some operations - Tarnavskyi
The third wave of Russian attacks on Ukrainian positions near Avdiivka was ongoing, according to Tavria operational group commander, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi.
The Russian army has deployed more than 40,000 troops in the Avdiivka sector, Tavria front defense forces spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun said on Dec. 8, adding that the enemy is losing 300-400 military personnel per day there.
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