Ukrainian intelligence halts operation of important Russian steel mill - source
The operation was carried out through the joint efforts of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate and the Foreign Intelligence Service, a source familiar with the matter said in a comment to Ukrinform.
According to intelligence sources, the plant halted operations after kamikaze drones hit two main power substations in the Belgorod region: the Stary Oskol substation near the village of Neznamovo and the Metalurgiynaya substation near the village of Volokonovskoye. The Metalurgiynaya substation is one of the largest electrical substations in Europe.
As a result of the operation, OEMK was completely de-energized - the only full-cycle metallurgical enterprise in Russia, where the technology of direct recovery of iron and smelting in electric furnaces has been implemented, which makes it possible to obtain metal practically free of harmful impurities and residual elements.
The blackout stopped all the electric arc furnaces, in which the metal froze. To start them up again, it is necessary to carry out a complete cleaning of these furnaces, to replace the arc elements, which may take several months. Some OEMK workers believe that new furnaces will have to be installed. Given that OEMK was built by German specialists using German technologies, it will probably be difficult to resume the work of the plant without their participation.
The electrometallurgical plant is of exceptional importance for the Russian military industry. The facility produced high-quality steel, including alloyed types of special steels (SBQ) for the automotive industry and mechanical engineering, using the MIDREX direct reduction technology and electric arc melting.
