Shelling halts production at coke plant

KYIV – Heavy shelling in eastern Ukraine has halted production at a coke plant operated by Ukraine’s largest steel company. One civilian was killed when the Avdiyivka plant, owned by Metinvest and located in the Donetsk region, came under bombardment on May 23, according to regional police. The company announced on its website on May 24 that coke production at the plant has been halted as a result, adding that “as soon as the situation stabilizes, work to restore power supply to the factory will begin.” The bombardment comes after one worker was killed and two wounded on May 21 in what the company said was the heaviest shelling of the plant since the Ukraine ceasefire was declared in mid-February. Metinvest is owned by Ukrainian tycoon Rinat Akhmetov, who has voiced his support for a united Ukraine but whose assets have reportedly been scrutinized by Kyiv as part of the recent de-oligarchization campaign. In April, hundreds of coal miners marched through the capital demanding that the government stop the closure of mines. (RFE/RL, with reporting by Reuters, the Associated Press and Interfax)