Over Half of Ukraine’s Metallurgy Cannot Be Relocated, Says Regional Council Chair on Dnipropetrovsk’s Mines and Quarries.

Why Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Is Vital to Ukraine’s Industry

According to Novyny.live: Mykola Lukashuk, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, has stated that the region’s major industrial assets—including metallurgical plants and mining operations—cannot be moved. His remarks underscore the area’s outsized role in Ukraine’s economy, as it hosts more than 50% of the country’s metallurgy sector.

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast also dominates coal production: 80% of all national coal reserves and extraction are tied to the Western Donbas basin. This highlights the region’s strategic importance to Ukraine’s industrial base. Lukashuk explained:

'The lion’s share—over 50% of all the country’s metallurgy and the entire iron ore division—is located in our region.' Mykola Lukashuk

These figures confirm that Dnipropetrovsk remains a critical hub for Ukraine’s economic strength.

Challenges and Risks Facing the Region

The council chair stressed that 'we cannot move mines or quarries. There is no way to relocate them.' This highlights the difficulty of the situation: strategically vital industrial sites must stay in place despite the dangers Ukraine faces. Dnipropetrovsk has also become a refuge for many business owners displaced from Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, further cementing its role in maintaining economic stability during the crisis.

In February 2025, Russia attacked a bus carrying mine workers with a drone, killing 15 people. That tragic event underscores the urgent need to protect industrial facilities and their employees amid ongoing military threats.

This situation demonstrates Dnipropetrovsk Oblast’s critical importance to Ukraine’s economy during wartime and instability. Preserving the region’s industrial capacity is essential for the country’s recovery and economic resilience. Safeguarding these enterprises and their workers may prove decisive in overcoming the economic challenges Ukraine faces during the war.