The Ukrainian scrap metal market is shrinking rapidly. Amid war, industrial losses, and logistical challenges, supplies have fallen to their lowest level since 1995. Despite this, exports continue to grow, posing a threat to both the economy and national security.
This was stated by the head of the industry council of the Federation of Metallurgists of Ukraine, Olena Kolesnikova, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.
“ A significant part of Ukrainian scrap metal is exported to the EU, where it is actually re-exported to third countries, primarily to Turkey, bypassing the Ukrainian export duty of 180 euros per ton ,” she noted.
According to her, such a scheme allows you to avoid paying duties, which leads to budget losses of billions of hryvnias. In 2023, the state budget received a shortfall of more than 2 billion hryvnias, and this year it has already exceeded 3 billion.
Instead of supporting domestic metallurgy, scrap is exported abroad, while there is an acute shortage of it within the country: today the deficit is at least 300 thousand tons. Ukrainian enterprises are left without raw materials, and a strategic resource is going beyond the borders of the state.
“ The processing of one ton of scrap in Ukraine yields 8 times more taxes than exports. And metals are needed not only for the economy, but also for the defense industry and reconstruction ,” Kolesnikova emphasized.
In June 2025 alone, the volume of scrap exports from Ukraine increased by 115% compared to last year. The main destination was Poland, which receives over 70% of all supplies.
At the same time, even the European Commission recognizes scrap metal as a strategic resource: as part of the "green deal", the EU plans to limit its export outside the union. Kolesnikova emphasizes that Ukraine should act similarly.
Among the proposed steps:
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creation of a public register of scrap exporters,
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cross-border exchange of information with customs authorities of EU countries,
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in particular, with Poland, as the main transit partner.
Experts are calling on the government to take urgent measures to stop the export of critical raw materials, avoid further budget losses, and preserve domestic industry.
