Metinvest mothballs Avdiyivka Coke Plant after shelling by Russians, ready to evacuate workers with families

The Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group is mothballing the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant, which is part of the group, to protect the lives and health of its employees and their safety due to enemy shelling.

According to a press release of the group issued on Wednesday, the company has minimized the number of personnel working at the plant's industrial sites.

"Everyone who can work remotely was transferred to a remote mode early March. However, specialists continue to work to ensure the safety of the industrial facilities of the Avdiyivka Coke Plant during the period of hostilities. Most of them, unfortunately, ended up under enemy fire on May 3 after a work shift. The invaders' attack was fast and targeted. The company's specialists did not even have time to return to the plant's bomb shelters, which today have become a shelter for employees and residents of Avdiyivka," the company said.

At the same time, currently there are seven shelters at the plant that can accommodate 2,500 people. The shelters are supplied with generators, medicines, drinking water and food in a volume sufficient for a long stay.

In addition, the administration of the Avdiyivka Coke Plant systematically conducts information and explanatory work for employees. It reminds of the timely response to danger and the rules that will help save lives, in particular, use shelters on the territory of an enterprise or city during shelling.

"Despite the difficult logistics and enemy shelling, the Metinvest group is ready to evacuate all employees and members of their families who wish to leave the dangerous place," the company said.

Heavy shelling of Avdiyivka continues for several weeks. There is no water in the city, electricity and gas disappear from time to time due to hostilities.

As reported, due to a direct hit in passenger transport, 10 employees of the plant were killed, about 20 were seriously injured. Currently, the wounded are being provided with all the necessary assistance in the Avdiyivka city hospital.

The Metinvest group condemns the actions of the occupiers and emphasizes that the shelling took place after the end of the shift, when the civilians of the city were gathering at the bus stop to go home.

"These are cynically planned actions and corrected targeted shelling of civilians who have families, children who did not surrender their city in 2014 and continue to support Ukraine together with the defenders," the company said earlier in a statement.

At the same time, it was emphasized that the shelling of peaceful cities, enterprises and ordinary residents is the genocide of Ukrainians by the Russian Federation. The whole world sees this in many Ukrainian cities, in particular in Mariupol, where fierce battles have been going on since February 24, infrastructure is being destroyed, women, the elderly and children are dying.

Source: www.en.interfax.com.ua