ArcelorMittal’s Kryvyi Rih plant, historically known as Kryvorizhstal, is being placed in a cold shutdown rather than permanently closed. The company says it is not abandoning its Ukrainian operations, but continued losses and damage linked to Russian attacks have made normal production unsustainable.

Radio Svoboda reported the development on Wednesday, November 11. The sprawling complex employs about 16,000 people and supports a wider network of mines and industrial facilities across the Kryvyi Rih iron ore basin.

Employees said clear information about their prospects remained limited, with some being moved to two-thirds pay. The impact is also reaching vocational schools: educators said demand for mining specialists had fallen sharply and training may need to shift toward broader skills, entrepreneurship and small business.

City officials had appealed to the company to keep production running and said they learned about the freeze through media reports. Kryvyi Rih had no settled strategy for coping with a prolonged heavy-industry shutdown, while roughly 500 municipal vacancies were being considered as possible jobs for displaced steelworkers.