For almost eight months, Ukrainians have been resisting Russia’s full-scale invasion. In this heroic fight, Rinat Akhmetov and Vadym Novinsky’s Metinvest Group has been providing unwavering support to Ukraine and its defenders. 

The stance of Metinvest and its shareholders has been unchanged since the early days of the war: it is to help Ukraine win. The maximum efforts, capacity and resources of the business have been channelled toward this goal. To strengthen the country’s defence capabilities, the Group has established a systematic supply of protective gear, tactical equipment, vehicles, protective structures and so on to the front line. In total, Metinvest has already allocated UAH1.3 billion to projects aimed to supporting Ukraine’s defenders. Among other efforts, this has been done as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative. 

Protecting defenders 

Since February 24, one of Metinvest’s largest projects has been to provide defenders with modern protective gear. Every tenth body armour vest that protects our military is made of the Group’s steel. To date, Metinvest has supplied 150,000 body armour vests for Ukrainian soldiers.

While some body armour vests are purchased abroad, most are made in Ukraine. Since March 2022, in parallel with the purchase of ready-made solutions, Group enterprises have been setting up own production of steel for making rigid body armour protection elements. 

By implementing new technology and adjusting the chemical composition of alloys, as well as parameters for hot-rolling plates and heat-treating finished products, Metinvest’s specialists have reduced the thickness of the plates from the initial 8.0-8.2 mm to 6.3-6.7 mm while maintaining their bullet resistance at the level of class 4 (according to DSTU 8782:2018). Such properties are on par with the world’s best steel equivalents and make it possible to significantly reduce the total weight of the armour elements and increase soldiers’ mobility.  

Through the Group’s fruitful cooperation with partners, the army is receiving tens of thousands of ready-to-use plates every month.

The armour is supplied to servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and other military bodies. Special attention is paid to Group employees defending Ukraine on the battlefield. Metinvest also contributes to protecting utility workers, rescuers and combat medics. Aside from body armour, the Group has supplied over 21,000 helmets to defenders.

A separate area of assistance is the supply of special mobile covers to the front line to reinforce trenches and provide additional protection for soldiers. Metinvest’s enterprises in Zaporizhzhia have mastered the required manufacturing process. Some 10 specialists are involved in producing one cover, and each structure takes about 10 days. Through these joint efforts, 25 steel capsules have been already made. 

To manufacture the covers, specialists reconfigured equipment, purchased special steel and rolls, and invested considerable effort into working on old drawings. The steel structures contain numerous features to optimise the conditions for soldiers. In particular, there are places for potbelly stoves and their stacks, a water discharge system and an emergency exit with a ladder.

Metinvest has already supplied over 25 mobile steel covers to the front line

Tactical edge

To enhance the advantage of our soldiers in combat operations, the Group has been supplying various tactical equipment, including more than 800 drones. Every day, with their help, the military collects and transmits data on the movement or location of the enemy, while guiding and adjusting artillery. In addition, the servicemen of the Defence Intelligence and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have received another record batch of UAVs: the Group purchased 300 drones for them at once. The total value of the equipment is around UAH50 million.

Also, since the beginning of the war, Metinvest has transferred 1,600 thermal imagers to the front line, particularly to the Defence Intelligence. The “prying eyes” of the modern equipment will help our military to stay one step ahead of the aggressor. They are capable of tracking the enemy at night when visibility is poor.

Metinvest has provided 268 vehicles to the Ukrainian army for transportation, redeployment and reinforcement of combat positions. These are special vehicles from enterprises and cars that the Group has purchased and delivered from abroad. Among the vital vehicles are 20 specialised ambulances for combat medics. They will help to evacuate soldiers from places of injury or stabilisation points to hospitals.

Metinvest has been supplying fuel to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the territorial defence to power vehicles and military equipment. Since the beginning of the war, defenders have already received 500,000 litres in various cities where the Group’s businesses operate. This represents substantial support for the army, especially amid the most severe market shortage in the first months of the war.

No step towards victory is too small

To prevent the enemy’s offensive, Metinvest has provided the army with around 76,000 iron hedgehogs manufactured by partners and Group enterprises. Steel shipped free of charge by Metinvest-SMC is also used in thousands of other steel products for the military’s needs: mini-bastions, grappling hooks for remote demining, various types of field stoves, fire extinguishers, construction brackets and reducers for hoses (parts needed to operate filling stations), and so on.

In particular, together with Ukrtransgaz, the Group is set to produce some 5,000 different metal items for our defenders’ needs. At present, specialists are making more potbelly stoves, which will be in great demand by the military during cold weather.

Ukraine’s defenders have also been receiving medical supplies from Metinvest. To help medics to save the lives of wounded soldiers, the Group has supplied more than 31,000 first aid kits and tourniquets. In addition, it is systematically providing hospitals with medical equipment, medicines and consumables.