>> Sreenivasan: UKRAINE HAS BEEN

INVOLVED IN AN ONGOING CONFLICT

WITH NEIGHBORING RUSSIA FOR THE

LAST FOUR YEARS.

SO FAR, MORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE

HAVE DIED, AND ALMOST TWO

MILLION HAVE BEEN FORCED TO FLEE

THEIR HOMES.

ONE INDUSTRIAL PLANT CRITICAL TO

UKRAINE'S ECONOMY IS SITUATED

RIGHT ON THE FRONT LINE, INTENT

ON STAYING UP AND RUNNING, NO

MATTER WHAT IT TAKES.

NEWSHOUR WEEKEND SPECIAL

CORRESPONDENT CHRISTOPHER

LIVESAY BRINGS US THIS REPORT.

>> Reporter: IT'S THE LARGEST

FACILITY OF ITS KIND IN ALL OF

EUROPE.

THE METINVEST PLANT IN EASTERN

UKRAINE PROCESSES COAL INTO

COKE, A HIGH-GRADE FUEL

ESSENTIAL TO MANUFACTURING

STEEL.

THIS MASSIVE PLANT, ESSENTIAL TO

UKRAINE'S ECONOMY, IS NOTABLE

NOT ONLY FOR ITS SIZE, BUT THAT

IT CONTINUES TO FUNCTION UNDER

REPEATED ATTACK IN A WAR ZONE.

ITS SURVIVAL IS DUE IN PART TO

THE U.S.

>> ( translated ): THE FACT THAT

WE CONTINUE TO WORK HERE LOOKS

MORE AND MORE LIKE A MIRACLE.

>> Reporter: TO HELP UNDERSTAND

THE DANGER FOR OURSELVES, WE

ARRANGED TO TOUR THE PLANT ONE

FOGGY MORNING.

WE WERE FIRST BRIEFED ABOUT ITS

MORE "TYPICAL" HAZARDS: HIGH

TEMPERATURES, GAS, HIGH-PRESSURE

PIPES, AND HEAVY MACHINERY.

FEELS LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD

UP HERE.

THE BEST WAY TO STAY OUT OF THE

WAY, IN SOME CASES, WAS TO LET

IT ROLL RIGHT OVER YOU.

WE WERE TAKEN TO ONE OF EIGHT

FURNACES--

IT'S REALLY TOASTY UP HERE.

--EACH BURNING AT MORE THAN

1,800 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

THE FURNACES HAVE TO KEEP

BURNING AT ALL TIMES.

IF THEY FALL BELOW 1,600 DEGREES

FOR MORE THAN A FEW DAYS, THE

FURNACES, WHICH COST $150

MILLION EACH, WILL COLLAPSE.

AND THAT'S A REAL POSSIBILITY.

THE UKRAINIAN ARMY HAS BEEN

FIGHTING WELL-ARMED REBELS FOR

THE PAST FOUR YEARS, AND THIS

PLANT IS LOCATED IN A STRATEGIC

POSITION BETWEEN THEM.

WE'RE REALLY JUST A COUPLE OF

MILES FROM THE FRONT LINE HERE.

IT'S MADE THIS PLANT A BIG

TARGET IN THE WAR.

SINCE THE WAR STARTED, THE PLANT

HAS BEEN HIT MORE THAN 300 TIMES

BY HEAVY WEAPONS.

THE HEAVIEST BOMBARDMENTS HAVE

BEEN DEADLY, SAYS THE PLANT'S

DIRECTOR GENERAL, MUSA

MAGOMEDOV.

>> ( translated ): I'VE LOST 12

PEOPLE AND MORE THAN 60 WERE

WOUNDED.

>> Reporter: WERE THEY KILLED

HERE OR AT THE FACTORY?

>> ( translated ): HERE IN THE

FACTORY, AND ON THE WAY FROM

THE FACTORY TO HOME.

>> Reporter: WHAT WAS YOUR WORST

DAY?

>> ( translated ): THERE HAVE

BEEN A LOT OF BAD DAYS HERE.

THE WORST WAS WHEN WE WERE

ATTACKED BY A SERIES OF ROCKETS.

I WAS STANDING NEAR THE WINDOW

HERE WHEN I SAW THEM LANDING IN

THE FACTORY, ONE BY ONE.

I WAS SO SHOCKED THAT I

COULDN'T HIDE, AND WAS HIT BY

THE SHOCKWAVE.

EVERYTHING WAS ON FIRE AND

SMOKING.

PEOPLE DIED THAT DAY.

THE FACTORY WORK STOPPED AND WE

DIDN'T KNOW IF IT WAS POSSIBLE

TO START AGAIN.

>> Reporter: THEY DID MANAGE TO

RESTART, KEEPING THE FURNACE

FIRES GOING JUST ENOUGH TO

PREVENT A CRIPPLING SHUTDOWN AND

PRODUCTION CONTINUED.

TODAY, WORKERS TAKE THE MORE

OCCASIONAL SHELLING IN STRIDE.

IS IT SCARY TO BE WORKING IN AN

AREA WHERE THERE IS FIGHTING

GOING ON NEARBY?

>> ( translated ): YOU GET USED

TO IT, OR YOU HAVE SOME

IMMUNITY.

SOMETIMES YOU DON'T REALIZE

THERE IS SHOOTING AROUND.

IT BLENDS IN WITH ALL OF THE

MECHANICAL SOUNDS.

>> Reporter: DO YOU KNOW ANYBODY

THAT HAS BEEN HURT IN THIS

CONFLICT, FRIENDS OR FAMILY?

>> ( translated ): SOME HAVE

SUFFERED MENTALLY.

SOME OF MY FRIENDS' FAMILIES

WERE BROKEN BECAUSE OF THIS WAR,

BECAUSE THE HUSBAND WAS HERE AND

HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN MOVED

AWAY.

AS A RESULT, THE FAMILY

COLLAPSED.

>> Reporter: BUT THIS COKE PLANT

IS STILL STANDING, JUST ONE

EXAMPLE OF HOW PEOPLE IN EASTERN

UKRAINE ARE TRYING TO HOLD OUT

UNTIL THE WAR COMES TO AN END.

THE WAR HAS MADE IT HARDER TO

GET THE COAL CRUCIAL TO RUNNING

THE PLANT.

RUSSIA USED TO BE A BIG

SUPPLIER, BUT IT'S BACKING THE

REBELS-- THAT IS, THE PEOPLE WHO

ARE SHELLING THE PLANT-- SO,

UKRAINE HAS LOOKED FOR OTHER

SOURCES, INCLUDING AMERICA.

SO, THIS COAL IS FROM

PENNSYLVANIA?

>> ( translated ): YES.

>> Reporter: BEFORE THE WAR,

THE PLANT RECEIVED 20% OF ITS

COAL FROM THE U.S.

NOW, IT'S MORE LIKE 50%.

250,000 TONS OF AMERICAN COAL

ARRIVE HERE EVERY MONTH.

THE COAL IS A LIFELINE FOR THE

PLANT AND THE STRATEGIC TOWN OF

AVDIIVKA.

THE PLANT SUPPLIES HEAT TO THE

TOWN, AND JOBS.

4,000 OF AVDIIVKA'S 20,000

RESIDENTS WORK HERE.

FOR MUSA MAGOMEDOV, IT'S SIMPLE.

WITHOUT THE PLANT, THERE IS NO

TOWN.

LOSING ANOTHER TOWN IS THE

BEGINNING OF THE END OF HIS

COUNTRY.

>> ( translated ): IT'S A DOMINO

PRINCIPLE.

IF WE LEAVE THIS PLACE, THE COKE

WILL NOT REACH METALLURGY WORKS;

THE METAL PRICE WILL BE LESS

COMPETITIVE, AND PEOPLE WILL

LEAVE THOSE FACTORIES.

WE WILL LOSE A LOT, ECONOMY-

WISE, AND WE CAN LOSE THE

COUNTRY IN THE END.

THAT'S WHY IT'S OUR CONTRIBUTION

TO KEEP THE COUNTRY ALIVE.