Most of Metinvest Group's employees are based in Mariupol. Bomb shelters have been opened at Iyich Steel and Azovstal for the Group's workers, their families and city residents. At this time, bomb shelters are the safest places in the city for people to stay. Mariupol is already experiencing a humanitarian disaster. Supplies of food, medicines and water have run out. The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, together with Metinvest Group, is trying to deliver essential goods to Mariupol, but the Russians continue to shell the city and prevent the opening of a humanitarian corridor.
Azovstal
The enemy has deliberately destroyed electrical substations and Mariupol has been without electricity, water and heat for a week now. Natural gas was available until recently. However, the Russian aggressors severed the gas pipeline and have deprived people of the last thing that remained of civilisation, and this has occurred as the outside temperatures have regularly gone below freezing. Homes and social facilities have been destroyed, retail outlets have been wiped out, pharmacies have been looted. There is no food, no water, no medicines. And all of this is taking place under continuous shelling. By besieging Mariupol, the enemy is committing a real genocide against the Ukrainian people.
The city has been deprived of mobile and fixed-line communications services for a sixth day. Due to constant enemy shelling, all mobile service base stations have been damaged. Communications are difficult to establish in some parts of Mariupol. People are existing in an information vacuum. Therefore, Metinvest Group continues to send SMSs to all its employees' phones every day, so that there is at least some small hope that people will be able to get accurate information
In all Ukrainian cities where relative calm remains, Metinvest Group has prepared accommodations for almost 4,000 evacuees. The Group has purchased food, medicines and everything necessary to provide immediate assistance to people.
All SCM businesses have joined forces for the sake of one thing – to help people survive in this terrible war. The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation has unique experience in helping people in wartime. It was decided to take on the mission to deliver humanitarian supplies.
— Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest Group.In Poland, a hub to aggregate aid from all over the world has been created and this aid is being delivered to Ukraine. Metinvest volunteers are collecting donations on the ground.
"We are making constant attempts to deliver humanitarian cargo to Mariupol and evacuate people," said Yuriy RYZHENKOV. "But, so far, our vehicles have not been allowed to pass, the enemy does not provide us with a corridor. Still, we believe that common sense will prevail. There are thousands and thousands of children, women, elderly and physically challenged people who are freezing from cold and hunger."
Metinvest Group will continue to move step-by-step towards victory, by deploying Ukraine’s humanitarian front, by helping in the territorial defence of Ukraine and by preserving production facilities for the future of the country.
We would like to remind you that Metinvest Group's enterprises in Mariupol have been in hot conservation mode for 11 days. The Group is trying to preserve the equipment and production shops. This is necessary to prevent industrial accidents and to ensure that the plants can be put back to operation immediately after the end of the war. People will need jobs and the country will need to be rebuilt.
