Ukraine’s steel output rose by 21.6% in 2024 to 7.58 million metric tons, its producers union said late on Thursday, though fighting that is closing in on the country’s only coking coal mine threatens to slash volumes this year. Steel production has already suffered since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, which has led to the destruction of leading steel plants. Ukraine, formerly a major steel producer and exporter, reported a 70.7% drop in output in 2022 to 6.3 million tons.