Ukraine-based steel producer and iron ore miner Metinvest has halted processing operations as a result of the Russian invasion, and is using facilities for humanitarian and defence purposes, the company said.

The company shut down steel plants in Mariupol and Zaporizhia after Russian strikes on the city, but is still running its Kamet Steel plant in Kamianske, and its mining assets in Kryvyi Rih are operating at 30-40%, said Metinvest.

Metinvest Poland has begun operating as a base for aid transhipment hub, to organise aid from European countries such as Romania, Germany, the Netherlands, the Baltic states and Poland itself.

Production facilities and plants belonging to partners have switched to the production of anti-tank obstacles, known as hedgehogs.

Rinat Akhmetov, founder and president of Metinvest owner System Capital Management, has also allocated €10 million (US$11 million) for the purchase of protective equipment for the territorial defence forces. This equipment includes helmets, armoured vests, and first-aid kits.

Luxembourg-based global steelmaker ArcelorMittal said last week that it has also shuttered its Ukraine steel plant in Kyiv due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.