Metinvest Group, together with Rinat Akhmetov’s charitable initiative Heart of Azovstal, will continue to support the defenders of Mariupol until the last of them returns home from captivity. Metinvest’s Chief Operating Officer, Oleksandr Myronenko, made this pledge at the Heart of Azovstal: Growing Together conference in Kyiv on 18 February.
The conference marked the project’s third anniversary and set out its plans for 2026. Over the past three years, Heart of Azovstal – part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative – has supported more than 8,000 Mariupol defenders. They have received over 28,000 instances of assistance. Among other services, this includes physical and psychological rehabilitation, prosthetics, dedicated apartments for defenders with Group I and II disabilities, and support with education and employment.
In late 2025, Rinat Akhmetov decided to extend the project for another year and allocated nearly UAH600 million in additional funding. This increased the total amount of assistance to be provided over four years to UAH2.2 billion.
“We welcome this decision, as a significant number of Mariupol defenders remain in captivity. We will not stop until the last of the city’s defenders returns home. For us, it is a matter of honour to help these heroes rebuild their lives in peacetime. We are strengthening our veteran support programmes and creating new opportunities for education and professional development. We are convinced that veterans are a driving force who will help rebuild Ukrainian industry and the country after the war,” said MYROINENKO.
This year, the Heart of Azovstal programme will continue supporting all Mariupol defenders returning from captivity. A further 100 apartments will be provided to defenders with Group I and II disabilities under the At Home housing initiative. This will bring the total number of apartments to be allocated over four years to 400. The project will also expand its post-traumatic growth methodology nationwide. Pilot training programmes for communities working with veterans are scheduled in Bucha and Kamianske.
Metinvest is also creating conditions for war veterans – including the defenders of Mariupol – to integrate successfully into teams across the business. It also helps them to pursue training and career development. Additionally, the Group supports their involvement with veteran communities and civic associations, where they can receive ongoing support.
Over the past three years, 14 Mariupol defenders have enrolled at Metinvest Polytechnic – the mining and metallurgical university that the Group has established – through a simplified admissions procedure. A further 57 service personnel have completed English language courses to improve their career prospects. Overall, the university offers 19 bachelor’s and 20 master’s programmes, as well as five doctoral-level pathways.
More than 1,000 veterans of Ukraine’s defence forces are currently employed across Metinvest’s enterprises.
Last year, the Group also allocated more than UAH3.1 million to support the physical and psychological rehabilitation of 72 defenders under the Veteran Camping programme in Zakarpattia.
At the conference, Metinvest received a special distinction from Heart of Azovstal as a strategic partner in recognition of its work with veterans.
