Metinvest Group has completed the construction of an upgraded underground NATO Role 2 hospital in one of the hottest sectors of the front. This is the second stabilisation centre created in coordination with Ukraine’s medical forces as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front initiative. It is better protected, more concealed and incorporates structural improvements informed by experience gained from operating the first hospital.
Given the intensity of the fighting and the urgent need to bring qualified medical aid as close as possible to wounded soldiers, the new hospital has been built even closer to the front line. Additional measures have been taken to strengthen and protect both medical personnel and patients. In particular, the facility is buried more than six metres underground and reinforced with extra layers of protective coverings.
Oleksandr MYRONENKO, chief operating officer of Metinvest Group, commented: “With the recommendations and approval of the medical forces, the hospital has been designed to a new specification. This has allowed us to optimise installation and fit-out timelines underground, as well as to implement additional camouflage for the main and evacuation exits. These measures are crucial for safeguarding medical staff and soldiers given the critical proximity to the front line. Thanks to our expertise in building functional modular ‘dungeons’, we have been able to rationalise the space without losing functionality or efficiency. The stabilisation centre is already operational and saving the lives of Ukrainian defenders, and that is what matters most.”
The core of the second underground hospital is formed by four “hideout” modules made of Metinvest steel, which house the surgical and stabilisation units, a workroom and a rest area for staff. The hospital has a total area of 350 square metres.
Roman KUZIV, a lieutenant colonel in the medical service, noted: “The first underground hospital built by Metinvest has proven itself outstandingly. Over a year of operation, combat medics have saved more than 6,000 soldiers’ lives. However, we cannot stand still. We are constantly working towards a universal stabilisation centre model that can be implemented at any point along the front’s medical evacuation routes. At the second underground hospital, we have now implemented an optimal concept capable of receiving patients with varying degrees of severity. This is a major reinforcement for Ukraine’s medical forces. We are grateful to Metinvest for its systematic partnership and the flexibility of the solutions that the Group brings to life.”
Metinvest financed the manufacture, transportation, installation and fit-out of the hospital. The Group also covered the cost of equipping the facility with household appliances and all essential life-support systems for field conditions. This included potable and technical water, electricity, ventilation, sewage, backup power, climate control equipment and more. Metinvest Group’s total investment amounted to over UAH21 million.
Up to three surgeries of varying complexity can be performed simultaneously in the underground hospital. The army has supplied all the necessary medical equipment, including high-speed infusion pumps, X-ray machines, oxygen concentrators, defibrillators and more. Life-saving care is delivered by a team of up to 20 experienced medics, including a trauma specialist, surgeons, anaesthetists, theatre nurses and orderlies.
As a reminder, in September 2024, Metinvest worked with the medical forces to create the country’s first underground stabilisation centre to save the lives of defenders on the frontline. That hospital was based on six steel “hideouts” made from Metinvest steel and adapted to the needs of the stabilisation centre.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Metinvest’s total assistance to Ukraine has amounted to UAH9.3 billion, of which UAH4.9 billion has been allocated to support the army under Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front initiative.
