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 Azovstal steel plant in 2014 | |
Native name | Mеталургійний Kомбінат Азовсталь |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private,Combine |
| PFTS: AZST | |
| Industry | steel production |
| Founded | 2 February 1930 (1930-02-02) |
| Defunct | 20 May 2022 |
| Fate | Destroyed during theSiege of Mariupol |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Rinat Akhmetov, Enver Tskitishvili (Энвер Омарович Цкитишвили) (April 2011–May 2022) (General Director) |
| ₴558,417,000 (2016) | |
| Owner | Metinvest B.V. Metinvest International |
Number of employees | 12,293 (2015[1]) |
| Parent | Metinvest |
| Subsidiaries | Sigma TV Channel Sygma TV Channel Firma Marita AzovMed |
| Website | azovstal.metinvestholding.com |
TheAzovstal Iron and Steel Works, orAzovstal Metallurgical Combine (Ukrainian:Mеталургійний Kомбінат Азовсталь,pronounced[ɐˌzɔvˈstɑl];PFTS:AZST), was a metallurgical facility located inMariupol in easternUkraine, and one of the largest steelrolling companies in the country.
The Azovstal plant became one of the most emblematic points of theSiege of Mariupol during theRussian invasion of Ukraine. The plant had tunnels and bunkers capable of withstanding a nuclear attack,[2] making it an extremely defensible position. As the Russian forces advanced into Mariupol, Ukrainian forces withdrew to Azovstal,[3] and by late April 2022 it became the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance in the city. TheBattle of Azovstal occurred on the site, culminating in the surrender of the remaining Ukrainian defenders after over a month of resistance.[4]
The plant was almost completely destroyed by Russian bombardment over the course of the battle.[5][6] After the capture of Mariupol, the Russians announced plans for the remains of the plant to be demolished during the city's restoration.[7]
Azovstal was established in 1930 inMariupol,Ukrainian SSR (Soviet Union) by the decision of the Presidium of theSupreme Soviet of the National Economy (BCHX) (USSR).
DuringWorld War II,German forces occupied the plant from October 1941.[8][9] As part of the GermanIvan Program [de] (1942–1943) the plant was used to produce ammunition from 1942 onward.[10] In September 1943, upon the city's recapture by Soviet forces, the plant was rebuilt.[8]
In 1991, after the independence of Ukraine, the plant became a property of the Ukrainian state. In 1996, the state started its privatization.[11] The plant became owned byMetinvest, a metallurgical company solely owned by the Ukrainian business conglomerateSystems Capital Management.[12]
In 2005, the plant produced 5.906 million tons of steel.[13] From 2006, it partnered with the Priazovskiy State Technical University to help streamline students into working at the site.[14] In 2011, it was the country's third largest steel producer, accounting for 15% of the entire steel output, and known as a large exporter of steel slabs andbillets.[12] In 2014, the bunkers under the plant were used when Russian-backedDonbas separatiststried to take Mariupol from the Ukrainian government.[11]
In March 2022, during the Siege of Mariupol, the works were badly damaged, withUkrainian parliament memberSerhiy Taruta stating that Russian forces had "practically destroyed the factory".[15] By 16 April, it became the last pocket of organized resistance in the siege. Russian forces gave the defenders until 6:00 AMMoscow Time on 17 April to surrender, claiming that if they left behind their weapons, they would guarantee their lives.[16] Ukrainian forces refused to surrender, and portions of the plant remained under their control.[17]
On 4 May, Russian troops claimed to have entered the steel plant after launching an all-out offensive.[18] However, this was refuted by Ukrainian sources, claiming they had repelled some Russian attacks.[19] On 7 May, Deputy Prime MinisterIryna Vereshchuk stated that "all women, children, and the elderly" had been evacuated from Azovstal.[20] According toThe New York Times, theAzov Battalion was ordered to surrender by the Ukrainian General Staff on 16 May, who said it was necessary "to save the lives of the personnel".[21]
Rap groupKalush Orchestra, who represented Ukraine in theEurovision Song Contest 2022 and later won the competition, called to save the soldiers at Azovstal onstage following their performance. This contributed to a sharp increase in global interest in Azovstal.[22][23]
On 17 May 2022, 53 seriously injured people surrendered and were evacuated from Azovstal to a medical facility in Novoazovsk and 211 people were taken to Olenivka through the humanitarian corridor, marking the end of the combat mission in Mariupol and the defense of the Azovstal plant after 82 days of fighting.[4] Following the capture of Mariupol by theDPR and Russian forces and the surrender of remaining Ukrainian servicemen in Azovstal,Denis Pushilin announced that the plant would be demolished and that "other projects are planned in place of Azovstal".[7] On February 25, 2023, Pushilin announced that atechnopark would be built on the territory of Azovstal.[24]
In a 1999 study, it was found that the site had been identified by a regional environmental protection agency as the second largest air polluter in the region. To attempt to lessen pollution amounts, a small pilot program was first implemented to mitigate pollution caused bygraphite andsmelter fumes, and was introduced in a larger scale after beneficial outcomes were shown. The site also implemented regular pollution prevention audits each year.[25]
As a result of lax environmental regulations and "totally obsolete" equipment used by Azovstal and other Metinvest-owned factories in the city, Mariupol was whatNational Geographic described as "one of the most polluted cities" in Ukraine. In 2018 and 2019, residents of Mariupol protested in the streets for reform.[26]
The works includedcoke production, asinter plant, six blast furnaces[27] and a steel-making complex.[13]
The steel plant operated as a subsidiary of Metinvest Holding LLC,[28] in turn, a subsidiary ofMetinvest B.V., at the time of the siege.[29]
Rinat Akhmetov is co-owner of Metinvest B.V.[30] Akhmetov supported the Ukrainian forces in the fight for Mariupol: "Mariupol has always been and will be a Ukrainian city. Ukrainians fiercely defend every inch of Ukrainian soil. I am proud that Azovstal is our bastion of resistance".[31]
Out of the six blast furnaces, the work of the first and fourth was suspended, and the third is being repaired.
Media related toAzovstal at Wikimedia Commons{{WikidataCoord}} – missing coordinate data
| Steel andcast iron production | |
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| Electrometallurgy | |
| Pipe andwire rope production | |
| Steel-like production (ferroalloy,dolomite, others) | |
| Closed (historical) factories | |
Mariupol in theRusso-Ukrainian War | |
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| War in Donbas(2014–2022) | |
| Siege of Mariupol(2022) | |
| Russian people | |
| Ukrainian people | |
| Pro-Ukrainian volunteers | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
