Metinvest, part of Rinat Akhmetov's Steel Front initiative, has set up the production of engineered structures that fully replicate the appearance of radar stations and artillery pieces. These decoys mislead the aggressor and force them to use expensive, precision-guided munitions to destroy these structures instead of the actual equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). Metinvest has already delivered 250 of these mock-ups to the AFU free of charge.
"The main task of these structures is to save the lives of servicemen. Every missile, every shell, every drone that the aggressor uses on a metal or plywood object reduces its ability to use these munitions against the equipment and troops of the AFU. Metinvest responded to the military's request in 2022, and thanks to the efforts of our professional team, was able to quickly launch production of artillery decoys. For us, this is only a small part of the contribution that a private company can make to the common goal: Ukraine’s victory. We are confident that all responsible Ukrainian businesses should pursue similar initiatives that help the AFU. We will only win by joining forces," said Oleksandr Myronenko, Metinvest Group’s Chief Operating Officer.
Specific models are produced in close co-operation with AFU experts based on frontline needs. The appearance of the models does not differ from the real equipment. To achieve this level of accuracy, Metinvest’s engineers studied all the physical parameters of real military equipment using open-source information and created preliminary designs that reproduced the subtleties of the real equipment.
The decoys, with their complete visual similarity, have already proven their worth. The models that have been delivered to the main front lines have already misled the aggressor into targeting them multiple times, saving the actual equipment and the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. Metinvest’s experts, working with the military, continue to strive to improve the decoys to maximise their effectiveness.
Notably, since the first days of the full-scale invasion, Metinvest has switched its production to a defence footing and has been systematically helping to equip the AFU. Over the past 18 months since the beginning of the Russian aggression, the Group has already spent UAH 2 billion as part of Rinat Akhmetov's Steel Front initiative to support Ukraine’s defenders. This includes 150,000 bulletproof vests made at its own facilities or purchased from third parties, more than 200 mobile shelters, thousands of drones, thermal imaging cameras, vehicles, communication gear and other defensive equipment that Metinvest purchases and delivers for free to units of the AFU.
