Metinvest Group has won the UN Global Compact Partnership for Sustainability Award 2025 in Ukraine in the “Reconstruction of Ukraine” category for creating the first underground steel hospital on the front line.
According to the company’s press release, the Partnership for Sustainability Award is the most prestigious award in the fields of corporate sustainability and ESG (environment, social responsibility, and governance). The annual award recognizes the best partnership projects implemented by business, government, and society. These projects are aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goals, protecting the environment, overcoming social and economic challenges, and promoting peace. Since 2018, the award has brought together more than 600 cases of successful partnerships that have become examples of sustainable leadership.
This year, 150 applications from 22 countries were submitted to the competition, of which 93 projects were selected for the final. They were evaluated by an independent international jury, which included experts from Harvard University, the London School of Economics, the World Economic Forum, the Basel Institute on Governance, and other influential international institutions.
Winners were selected in seven categories. The “Reconstruction of Ukraine” category covered support for Ukraine’s defenders, humanitarian aid to the civilian population, demining and evacuation, human rights protection, and reconstruction projects.
Metinvest created Ukraine’s first underground medical stabilization point on the front line in coordination with the Skhid Medical Forces. The steel hospital is submerged to a depth of 6 meters and equipped with communications, electronic warfare systems, alternative power sources, and security measures. Inside, there is a laboratory, surgical equipment, oxygen concentrators, a ventilator, defibrillators, and more. In terms of staffing, it corresponds to Role/Echelon 2 field hospitals according to NATO standards.
“This hospital has already saved about 4,000 lives of servicemen performing combat missions 8-10 km from the contact line. Recently, one of these units was directly hit by three aerial bombs. Thanks to the hospital, it was possible to save people. Thank God, the entire unit survived,“ said Roman Kuziv, commander of the Medical Forces ”East” group.
The hospital receives up to 100 wounded per day.
“Underground hospitals are our know-how, created on the basis of steel bunkers – ‘hideouts’. When it comes to saving the lives of defenders, every minute is crucial. That is why the location of stabilization points near the front line and their concealment from the enemy allow medics to work safely and provide timely assistance. This Ukrainian engineering invention has already proven its effectiveness and attracted the interest of one of the world’s leading armies,” said Metinvest’s Chief Operating Officer Oleksandr Myronenko.
The UN Global Compact in Ukraine is the official representative of the world’s largest community of responsible businesses that shapes ESG culture. The initiative brings together more than 25,000 participants in 167 countries around the world. The Ukrainian network includes nearly 150 companies from various sectors of the economy. Metinvest Group joined the UN Global Compact in 2010.
