Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Ukraine Reduced Rolled Steel Production by 15.6% in January–August

According to preliminary data, Ukrainian steelmakers reduced their production of total rolled steel by 15.6% in January–August of this year compared to the same period last year, down to 3.592 million metric tons.

According to information from the “Ukrmetallurgprom” association, 269,500 metric tons of rolled steel were produced in August, 382,700 metric tons in July, 599,800 metric tons in June, 537,800 metric tons in May, in April—460,800 metric tons, in March—544,500 metric tons, in February—390,300 metric tons, and in January—406,400 metric tons.

In 2025, Ukraine’s steel companies increased their production of general-purpose rolled steel by 4.8% compared to 2024, reaching 6.521 million metric tons.

In 2024, Ukraine increased its production of general-purpose rolled steel by 15.8% compared to 2023—to 6.222 million metric tons from 5.372 million metric tons. In 2023, total rolled steel production rose by 0.4% to 5.372 million metric tons, while in 2022, it fell by 72% to 5.350 million metric tons.

In 2021, before the war, 19.079 million metric tons of rolled steel were produced, or 103.5% of the 2020 level.

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Ukraine Reduced Steel Production by 12.5% in January–August

Ukrainian steelmakers reduced steel production by 12.5% in January–August of this year compared to the same period last year, down to 4.3 million metric tons.

According to data from the “Ukrmetallurgprom” association, 277,000 metric tons of steel were produced in August, 457,000 metric tons in July, 690,800 metric tons in June, 629,400 metric tons in May, in April—517,300 metric tons, in March—702,300 metric tons, in February—515,000 metric tons, and in January—511,100 metric tons.

In 2025, Ukraine’s steel companies reduced steel production by 2.2% compared to 2024—to 7.409 million metric tons.

In 2024, Ukraine increased steel production by 21.6% compared to 2023—to 7.575 million metric tons. In 2023, steel production fell by 0.6% to 6.228 million metric tons, and in 2022, it fell by 70.7% to 6.263 million metric tons.

In 2021, before the war, 21.366 million metric tons of steel were produced, or 103.6% of the 2020 level.

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“Zaporizhkox” Reduced Coke Production by 9.6% Over Eight Months

PJSC “Zaporizhkox,” one of Ukraine’s largest producers of coke and coke-chemical products and a member of the Metinvest Group, reduced its blast furnace coke production by 9.6% in January–August of this year compared to the same period last year, down to 535,900 metric tons.

According to the company, 38.1 thousand metric tons of coke were produced in August, compared to 63.4 thousand metric tons the previous month and 79.6 thousand metric tons in August 2025.

“The decline in production volumes in August 2026 compared to the same period in 2025 is due to a reduction in coal concentrate supplies to the plant. This is linked to the disruption of operations at Ukrainian Black Sea ports due to the aggressor country’s constant attacks on international merchant vessels, particularly those transporting raw materials for the Ukrainian metallurgical industry,” the press release explains.

As previously reported, in 2025, “Zaporizhkox” increased its output by 2.7% compared to 2024—to 898,300 metric tons, while in 2024, output rose by 2.1% to 874,700 metric tons from 856,800 metric tons in 2023.

“Zaporizhkox” operates a full technological cycle for the processing of coke-chemical products.

Metinvest is a vertically integrated mining group of companies. Its major shareholders are the SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of the Metinvest Group.

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Ferrexpo Resumes Production in Ukraine After Raising $100 Mln

Ferrexpo, a mining and ore processing company with its main assets in Ukraine, announced the resumption of production at its facilities in Ukraine.

“We are pleased to resume production in Ukraine, and I would like to thank our team, which has once again demonstrated its dedication and determination by ensuring the resumption of operations over the weekend,” said Ferrexpo’s interim CEO, Lucio Genovese.

According to a press release, following the raising of $100 million, which was announced on September 4, 2026, the company took the necessary steps over the weekend, and production was resumed using one pellet production line.

Given the numerous documented incidents of attacks on ports and ships in the Black Sea, the company plans to focus on exporting products to customers in Europe, according to a Ferrexpo stock exchange announcement on Monday.

As reported in early August, Ferrexpo suspended production in Ukraine amid the constant threat of Russian attacks in and around Ukrainian ports in order to preserve working capital.

As of June 30, 2026, the group’s net cash position (excluding lease obligations) stood at approximately $21 million, compared to $25 million as of March 31, 2026, and $47 million as of December 31, 2025.

Ferrexpo owns a 100% stake in Yeristovsky GOK LLC, a 99.9% stake in Bilanovsky GOK LLC, and 100% of the shares in Poltava GOK PJSC.

The London Stock Exchange (LSE) suspended trading in Ferrexpo shares in May due to the company’s inability to publish its annual financial statements on time.

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“Ukrnafta” is checking readiness of its production facilities for fall-winter period

“Ukrnafta” is preparing for the fall-winter period amid ongoing Russian attacks on civilian oil and gas production infrastructure.

Bogdan Kukura, Chairman of the Board of Ukrnafta, and Serhiy Fedorenko, Acting Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine, visited Ukrnafta’s production units in northern and eastern Ukraine.

“The main focus is on people’s safety and the protection of production facilities. Our top priority is to safeguard our personnel and minimize the consequences of possible attacks,” said Bogdan Kukura, Chairman of the Board of JSC “Ukrnafta.”

During the visit, they inspected shelters for employees, warning systems, and the availability of personal protective equipment. They also specifically checked the security status of production facilities and the units’ readiness for operations during the fall and winter months.

The company continues to strengthen security measures and prepare its production infrastructure to operate under conditions of constant threats. The primary objective is to protect people and ensure the stable operation of production facilities.

JSC “Ukrnafta” is Ukraine’s largest oil producer and operates the country’s largest national network of gas stations—UKRNAFTA. In 2024, the company began managing Glusco’s assets. In 2025, it finalized a deal with Shell Overseas Investments BV to acquire the Shell network in Ukraine. In total, it operates nearly 700 gas stations.

The company is implementing a comprehensive program to resume operations and modernize the format of the gas stations in its network. Since February 2023, it has been issuing its own fuel vouchers and “NAFTACard” cards, which are sold to legal entities and individuals through Ukrnafta-Postach LLC.

The largest shareholder of Ukrnafta is NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, with a stake of 50% + 1 share.

In November 2022, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine decided to transfer to the state the portion of the company’s corporate rights that belonged to private owners; this portion is now managed by the Ministry of Defense.

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Russian attack destroyed “Khortytsia” distillery in Zaporizhzhia; Global Spirits continues production in Lviv and Odesa

The “Khortytsia” distillery in Zaporizhzhia, one of the key production assets of the international alcohol holding company Global Spirits, was completely destroyed as a result of a Russian attack and cannot be restored, the company’s press office told NV Business on August 28; the news was also reported by Interfax-Ukraine.

According to Global Spirits, the facility was struck four times, after which the fire raged for at least three hours. The company lost approximately 3–4 million bottles of finished products, for which excise taxes had already been paid. Some of the goods were completely burned, while others melted and must be disposed of. The company estimates the average cost of a single bottle at approximately 100 UAH.

Thus, the cost of the destroyed finished products alone could amount to about 300–400 million UAH, not including the cost of production equipment, buildings, infrastructure, and losses resulting from the plant’s shutdown.

The “Khortytsia” plant was built from the ground up and began operations in 2003. Prior to the fire, it employed more than 500 people, and the bottling lines had a capacity of up to 16 bottles per second. In addition to “Khortytsia” vodka, the company produced products under the “Morosha,” “Pervak,” “Medova,” “Pshenichna Sloza,” and Gold Ukraine brands.

This is already the second major blow to Global Spirits’ logistics and production infrastructure in the past month and a half. On the night of July 19, a Russian missile destroyed the company’s main finished goods warehouse in the Kyiv region. At that time, the warehouse facilities and inventory were destroyed, and preliminary damage exceeded 100 million UAH, of which approximately 74 million UAH consisted of previously paid taxes.

Following the loss of its Zaporizhzhia facility, Global Spirits retains its other production sites. The holding company’s official website, under the “Our Plants” section, currently lists the Odessa Cognac Plant and the “Hetman” plant in Lviv. The Lviv facility has six modern Italian production lines and manufactures approximately 160 varieties of vodka.

The Odessa Cognac Plant is one of the oldest enterprises in the industry in Ukraine. Its history dates back to 1863 and is linked to the Shustov dynasty. Global Spirits acquired the facility in 2007. The plant has a full production cycle for brandy and cognac, Europe’s largest distillation facility, and a stock of more than 15,000 barrels of cognac spirits.

In addition to its Ukrainian facilities, the list of production sites on Global Spirits’ corporate website includes the Owensboro Distilling Company in Kentucky, USA, which produces American bourbon, as well as Compañía Tequilera Hacienda La Capilla in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, where tequila is produced.

Global Spirits positions itself as one of Europe’s largest international spirits holding companies. Its products are available in more than 87 countries, its headquarters are located in New York, and its proprietary distribution infrastructure covers 31 U.S. states. The company reports a production capacity of over 300 million bottles per year and more than 5,000 employees.

Its portfolio includes more than 15 alcoholic beverage brands, among them “Khortytsia,” “Morosha,” “Pervak,” Shustoff, Oreanda, San Marino, “Medova,” and others.

Over the years, the “Khortytsia” brand has repeatedly been ranked among the world’s largest vodka brands. As early as 2006, it made the top 10 of the World Millionaires’ Club; in 2015, the IWSR named “Khortytsia” the world’s third-largest vodka brand by sales volume; and in Drinks International’s 2019 ranking, the brand was also among the top three globally.

By the end of 2025, Global Spirits had strengthened its position in the global vodka market. In The Spirits Business’s The Brand Champions 2026 ranking, published in June, “Khortytsia” took third place among the world’s best-selling vodka brands with a volume of 11.7 million nine-liter cases, trailing only Smirnoff and Absolut. Another Global Spirits brand—“Morosha”—took fourth place with 11.2 million cases and was named the 2026 Vodka Brand Champion.

In addition, Global Spirits’ “Pshenichna Slioza” vodka nearly tripled its sales in 2025—to 6.1 million nine-liter cases—and entered the global top 10 for the first time, taking eighth place.

Thus, the destruction of the Zaporizhzhia plant affected not only a major Ukrainian enterprise but also the production base of the holding company, whose brands are among the global leaders in the vodka market. At the same time, the presence of facilities in Lviv, Odesa, and outside Ukraine allows Global Spirits to redistribute part of its production, although the company has not yet disclosed exactly where the volume previously produced by the “Khortytsia” plant will be compensated for.

According to NV Business, citing YouControl, Global Spirits Group LLC’s revenue in 2025 fell by 54.3% to 1.4 billion UAH; however, the company moved out of a loss of 235.3 million UAH and posted a net profit of 57 million UAH.

 

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