Coke plant in Avdiivka destroyed by Russia is impossible to rebuild

"The plant is under the control of the Ukrainian army. It was repeatedly shelled by Russia. They fired at it with everything they had. I think it will be impossible to restore the plant," he said.

Ryzhenkov also added that it is unlikely that it will be necessary to rebuild the plant as it was before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

The Metinvest CEO stressed that Azovstal and Ilyich Iron and Steel Works of Mariupol were the largest consumers of Avdiivka Coke's coke. According to him, their resumption is out of the question for the foreseeable future as long as the company has not yet returned to Mariupol. At the same time, Metinvest plans to restore Azovtsal, but Ryzhenkov said it would be a completely different plant.

In the interview, Metinvest's CEO also noted that after the war ends, metallurgy will remain a part of Mariupol, but it will not be its backbone. He also said that the city could become a resort.

"Tourism can be the main sector of the city's economy. There is also potential in machine building, shipbuilding, science," he said, but reminded that everything would depend on the conditions under which the war ends.

Twelve people who were hiding in the shelter of the Avdiivka Coke Plant were evacuated to Pokrovsk, Donetsk region. At the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, they came to the plant's shelter and asked for shelter.