Russia Hits Lakshmi Mittal's Ukraine Steel Plant In Missile Strike

A Russian missile strike hit Indian-origin billionaire Lakshmi Mittal's ArcelorMittal steel plant in Kryvyi Rih, Reuters reported, citing a Telegram statement. The attack killed two workers and injured 14 others. The assault followed a massive Ukrainian drone barrage against Russian territory.

ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is Ukraine's largest integrated steel facility. Mittal owns the site, which is located in the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The company detailed the immediate damage via a Telegram update. "As a result of the attack, key production facilities in the power generation and blast furnace sectors have been damaged, and the plant’s production processes have been partially halted," ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih stated, as reported by Reuters.

The strike was part of a broader overnight Russian assault across Ukraine. Strikes in Kyiv sparked fires and left civilians injured, while ballistic missiles also hit Kremenchuk.

Massive Aerial Escalation

Ukraine launched one of its largest aerial attacks of the war on Sunday. Kyiv fired more than 800 drones at Moscow and other Russian infrastructure targets, killing at least six people. The operation brought the conflict directly to ordinary Russian citizens.

The Russian Defence Ministry stated its forces intercepted 822 drones overnight. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said roughly 600 drones were tracked heading towards the capital, with air defences downing nearly a third of them over the Moscow region itself.

Ukrainian long-range strikes increasingly target Russian military industries and energy facilities, AP reported. Kyiv also strikes large warehouses owned by Russian e-commerce company Wildberries, destroying merchandise worth billions of dollars.

Zelenskyy detailed the scale of recent Russian bombardments online. "Emergency services are working at the sites of the Russian strikes that took place this morning and last night. In Kyiv, the fires were quickly extinguished, and emergency work is now ongoing. The Russians injured six people in the city and the region. Kremenchuk and Kryvyi Rih were also hit with ballistic missiles. Wherever the Russians can reach with their ballistic missiles, they strike civilian infrastructure," he said in a social media post.

He added, "This week alone, 13 regions came under attack. The enemy launched more than 1,550 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided aerial bombs, and 62 missiles at our cities and communities, most of them ballistic missiles of various types."

Tougher European Sanctions

The European Union plans to push the most far-reaching sanctions against Russia since the war began. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced the proposed listings to intensify economic pressure on Moscow.

Kallas explained the financial toll during an interview with a German newspaper. "EU sanctions have already cost Russia dearly, depriving Russia's war machine of over €1 trillion ($1.16 trillion) and for autumn I am putting forward the most far-reaching sanctions listings since the start of the war," Kallas said, as reported by Reuters.

She detailed the immediate impact of the proposal. "Once adopted, they would immediately raise the total number of sanctioned Russian entities by a third. The pressure must keep growing until Moscow ends its war," Kallas said.

This fresh escalation in aerial warfare and economic sanctions unfolds nearly four and a half years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.