The siege of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol ended on 20 May 2022, after nearly three months of fighting. The plant, covering 11 square kilometres and one of the largest steelworks in Europe, had become the last Ukrainian-held position in the city. Between 16 and 20 May, 2,439 Ukrainian defenders surrendered and were taken to Russian-held territory. The plant itself was largely destroyed, and with the Ilyich works also out of action, Ukraine lost a large share of its steelmaking capacity. Before the war, Ukraine had been the world's fourteenth-largest crude steel producer, making 21.4 million tonnes in 2021, and a major exporter of slab, pig iron and hot-rolled coil. The loss of Mariupol's mills, together with sanctions on Russia, removed tens of millions of tonnes of supply from the world market and pushed buyers in Europe and the Middle East to seek new sources.
Source: The Business Standard — https://www.tbsnews.net/world/siege-ends-mariupol-steelworks-russia-seeks-control-donbas-423738
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (freely licensed).