Kryvyi Rih will introduce budget cuts and suspend some development projects due to falling tax revenues from industrial enterprises, Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defence Council, said.
According to him, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, the Inhulets and Southern mining and processing plants, and the Kryvyi Rih Iron Ore Plant are currently not operating. Other major enterprises in the city are operating at no more than a quarter of their pre-war capacity.
Vilkul said the shutdowns were caused by Russian attacks and difficulties exporting products through ports. Numerous contractors that depend on the city’s major industrial enterprises have also been forced to suspend operations.
As a result of declining tax revenues, the city will halt a number of important projects in 2026. At the same time, the authorities say they will maintain the operation of critical infrastructure.
“But this is no longer about development. It is about survival. Right now, we have to survive,” Vilkul said.
He described the outlook for Kryvyi Rih’s 2027 budget as “very bad”. Schools, kindergartens, hospitals, water supply and heating will remain priorities.
ArcelorMittal is halting operations at ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine’s largest steel plant, following four missile strikes over the past five weeks.
On 17 August, the company reported that a missile strike had damaged key energy and blast furnace facilities. Two people were killed and 13 injured, while some production processes were suspended.
