Russian official says Moscow will not restore Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, which was destroyed during Mariupol siege

Russian authorities do not plan to rebuild the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, which was destroyed by Russian troops during the siege of Mariupol in the spring of 2022, according to Russian Construction Ministry official Yulia Maximova. Restoring the massive facility would be “impossible and unprofitable,” she told journalists.

Maximova also said that operations at the Illich Steel and Iron Works, which was also badly damaged during Russia’s siege, have been suspended, and that the plant “will never operate as it previously did.”

Noting that it’s “not enough to restore people’s homes” if people don’t have a place to work, Maximova assured Mariupolites that Russia’s plan for restoring the devastated city includes “compensatory measures.”