Steel output in Ukraine fell by a third
Ukraine's deindustrialization is in full swing. According to the Metallurgprom association of metallurgical plants, steel production in Ukraine in January-April 2014 fell by 30%, to 7,08 million tons. Pipe production in the country fell by 38,5%, according to Rosbalt . Industrial production also fell by approximately a third.
Subscribe to PolitNavigator – Kyiv news on Facebook , Odnoklassniki , or VKontakte
According to the Metallurgprom association, the production of general rolled metal during this period decreased by 31% - to 6 million tons, and iron smelting decreased by 32% - to 6,4 million tons.
The volume of coke production for 4 months of this year decreased by 42% - to 3,29 million tons. Without coke it is not possible to produce high-quality steel. Most of the former Ukrainian enrichment coke production facilities are located either in the combat zone or on the territory of the DPR-LPR.
As a reminder, in April 2015, Ukraine's largest mining and metallurgical group, Metinvest, announced that it was in a state of default and was launching three projects to obtain consent from holders of its bonds maturing in 2015, 2017, and 2018 to defer repayment of the principal amount of the debt.
Reuters reports that Metinvest debt restructuring negotiations have recently reached a near deadlock.
Steel production in Ukraine fell by a third.