Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group, within the framework of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative, transferred optics and equipment for 10 million UAH to the National Guard of Ukraine.
According to the company, heavy and dangerous battles continue along the frontline – in order to increase the efficiency of offensive operations and reduce losses of Ukrainian defenders, Metinvest transferred a large batch of optics and equipment worth 10 million UAH.
It is specified that the assistance within the framework of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front militarized initiative was once again received by the unit of the Offensive Guards of the National Guard of Ukraine. Now the soldiers have a number of useful equipment at their disposal: 20 night vision devices, 7 rangefinders, 30 collimator holographic sights and magnifiers for them, 10 binoculars Schteiner, 7 quadcopters DJI MAVIC 3T and FMC, as well as tablets and a laptop. And to increase the mobility of fighters to the front will go be a bus and a pickup truck.
The press service emphasizes that all the devices received are high-tech and of high quality. According to the soldiers, they will help to perform special combat tasks more effectively and with fewer losses.
“With the help of the new rangefinders, we can determine the distance to the targets very accurately at a distance of up to 2 km. And accordingly, we can plan our actions more effectively, and adjust fire to hit all units. So this is a very necessary equipment for us! Most of the enemy have no such devices, they are far behind – both in tactics and in technical equipment. So having these things in service is a great advantage for us. With equipment from the Steel Front, we will destroy the enemy even more effectively, leaving no chance. This is exactly the kind of equipment our troops need to win,” explains the company deputy chairman of one of the offensive units, call sign Leo, who is quoted by the press service.
Despite the fact that this equipment is quite scarce on the market, Metinvest is doing its best to provide the troops with everything they need.
“The night vision devices that we transfer are full-featured devices that meet NATO military standards. Supply of such highly professional military equipment requires approval of documents of permissive nature for movement across the border, control over logistics and transfer itself. We assess the needs and quality of equipment more and more thoroughly with each new request from the military. We are trying to meet specific requirements of defenders, where, due to complexity of centralized supplies, assistance is needed the most”, – comments Alexander Kul, Senior Manager of Mergers and Acquisitions Department of Project Office of Metinvest Group.
Earlier Metinvest delivered a batch of equipment worth UAH 2.3 million to the Donetsk direction. The defenders received six drones, Starlink complex, two EcoFlow batteries, three radios, five night vision devices, as well as gas masks. In total, since the beginning of the full-scale war within the framework of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front militarized initiative, the company has allocated more than UAH 1.6 billion to help the Ukrainian army.
“Metinvest” is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical enterprises. Its enterprises are located in Ukraine – in Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Dnepropetrovsk regions, as well as in European countries.
The major shareholders of the holding are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%) that manage it jointly.
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest group.
In January-March 2023 ALC “IC ARX Life” (ARX Life, Kiev) collected premiums to the amount of UAH 73,3 mln, that is by 5,06% more than in the same period last year.
It’s reported on the site of RA “Standard-Rating” about the renewal of credit rating/rating of financial stability (reliability) of the insurer at the level “uaAАА” according to the national scale.
The indemnities of the insurer in the Q1 of 2023, compared to the same period of 2022 has grown by 61,75% up to UAH 17,961 mln. Therefore, the level of payouts of the insurer has grown by 8,58 p.p. – up to 24,50%.
Acquisition expenses of the insurer have decreased by 4,22% down to UAH 38,333 mln in the first quarter of 2023 in comparison with the same period of 2022.
According to the results of work in the first three months of 2023 IC “ARCS Life” has received a net profit of UAH 15,410 mln that is 2,89 times more than the profit received in the Q1 of 2022.
As of April 1, 2023 the assets of the company have increased by 4.91% up to UAH 242,225 mln, shareholders’ equity has increased by 12.87% up to UAH 135,102 mln, liabilities have reduced by 3.66% down to UAH 107,123 mln, cash and cash equivalents have reduced by 39,85% down to UAH 39,819 mln.
At the same time, RA notes that as of April 1, 2023, the insurer has made financial investments in the amount of 182,043 mln UAH, consisting of government bonds (83,52%) and deposits in banks (16,48%).
ARX Life, like ARX, is a part of the international insurance holding Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. ARX Life is among the top 10 companies in the life insurance market in Ukraine.
Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises in January-April this year reduced the production of total rolled steel, according to operational data, by 56% compared with the same period last year – to 1.512 million tons.
According to the association “Ukrmetallurgprom” on Tuesday, in the first four months of this year, steel production fell by 54% compared with January-April 2022 – to 1.809 million tons.
Iron smelting for this period decreased by 54% to 1.747 million tons.
As reported, in 2022, Ukraine reduced the production of general products by 72% compared to the previous year – up to 5.350 million tons, steel – by 70.7% – to 6.263 million tons, cast iron – by 69.8% – to 6.391 million tons.
In 2021, the company produced 21.165 million tons of cast iron (103.6% by 2020), 21.366 million tons of steel (103.6%), 19.079 million tons of rolled steel (103.5%).
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has signed decrees on several sanctions packages, including Zaporizhstal.
“Today is sanctions day. There are several sanctions packages, the relevant decrees have been signed. The first sanctions package is in relation to Zaporizhstal. With his decree imposed restrictive measures on 41 persons – 13 individuals and 28 legal entities – with which the Russian Federation maintained control over the enterprise, harmed our economy,” he wrote in the telegram channel.
“We start the procedure for the confiscation of the Russian part – it will work for Ukraine and Ukrainians,” Zelensky added.
From May 15, the intervals between trains of the Kiev subway will be reduced, and second vestibules will be opened at some stations, according to the Kiev City State Administration
“From Monday, intervals between trains will be reduced on each subway line. The waiting time during peak hours on weekdays will be 3-4 minutes, during off-peak – 6-8 minutes. Also the interval between trains will be increased on weekends, during the day the interval between trains will be 6-7 minutes,” – said in a message of the KSCA in Telegram-channel on Friday.
At nine stations will work the second exits. At the station “Obolon” lobby number 1 will work (in the direction of “Minskaya” station). Concourse 2 will remain closed because of repairs.
Recall that “Akademgorodok”, “Darnitsa”, “Lesnaya”, “Minskaya”, “Pochayna” and “Vydubychi” stations have two exits.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is planning a tour of Latin America in the second half of the year, during which he will visit a number of countries in the region.
“Guatemala had an unprecedented response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia. We noticed it, and we will always be grateful. That’s why I’m here. But I’m planning a bigger Latin American tour in the second half of the year. And as part of that tour – I intend to visit a number of countries in the region,” Kuleba said at a press conference with Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Bucaro.
Kuleba noted that Ukraine now maintains an ongoing dialogue with many Latin American countries at the presidential and foreign minister level.
“For example, yesterday we hosted Celso Amorimo, Chief Adviser of the Special Consultative Service of the Brazilian Presidential Administration, in Kyiv,” the Minister added.
According to the head of the department, 2023 will be “a year of relations with Latin America” for Ukraine.
“You will hear a lot from us. And of course, we will be happy to hear a lot from Latin America and to host visitors from Latin America,” Kuleba said.
