Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group has started manufacturing targets for military training at its Kryvyi Rih plants as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative.
According to the company’s press release, Ukrainian defenders must maintain a high level of professional knowledge and skills to effectively fight the enemy at the front. In particular, in the use of small arms. To enable the military to systematically practice and improve their skills, Metinvest’s enterprises in Kryvyi Rih have started producing targets.
At the same time, Metinvest’s Kryvyi Rih facilities have manufactured and delivered approximately 30 target models at the request of the military. All of them have previously been successfully tested at training grounds.
The specialists have now mastered the production of three types of targets: Gong, Popper and Tree. They consist of sturdy frames on which the target is hung. Target equipment parts can be replaced as needed by installing new components on the frames.
As part of the Steel Front military initiative, Metinvest is implementing a number of initiatives aimed at improving the military training of the Ukrainian army. The company has become a partner in the construction of a mine action center in Chernihiv Oblast, which will provide training for more than 3,000 sappers. In addition, Metinvest is developing tactical medicine in Ukraine in cooperation with the PULSE charity foundation. Over UAH 13 million has been allocated to organize training for military personnel in the combat zone.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of steel and mining companies. The Group’s enterprises are located mainly in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Dnipropetrovsk regions. The main shareholders of the holding are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%), which jointly manage it. Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
Metinvest Mining and Metals Group has built 35 steel bunker headquarters for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front initiative and plans to produce another 90 bunkers.
Metinvest’s Chief Operating Officer Alexander Mironenko told Pryamyy Kanal that the group has joined the fortification program that is underway in virtually all frontline areas, and is actively building the second and third defense lines with platoon strongholds.
“These points use our shelters as standard, and we have already delivered more than 330 units to our army. And the question arose that we also need to make command posts to ensure continuous control of troops near the contact line. After that, we had a very meaningful discussion with the military, with the command in certain areas. And we have developed a project of the command post – they must meet the following requirements to ensure a comfortable stay of the leadership near the positions and continuous command of the troops,” explained Myronenko.
He clarified that the points must be provided with uninterrupted communication, so they are equipped with Internet, telephone and all other means used by the military. In addition, there should be places where online operators can watch what is happening on the contact line. There are people who monitor video from reconnaissance drones flying along the front line. There are people who monitor how the enemy’s positions and our positions are changing, what kind of fighting is going on at the moment on the contact line. This is all done using large screens and computer equipment, which Metinvest also provides.
The stations are located deep underground for the safety of the military, they are electrified and equipped with stationary heating places, as well as a modern ventilation system that prevents air from stagnating.
The stations are set up mostly at night – they have to be delivered secretly, the place prepared – dig a hole, place them there, make communication lines, fill them up, cover them with several layers of wood. All this requires quite significant security measures, which the company takes together with the military: “They prepare the infrastructure, and we come and install the ‘shelters’ and help with the arrangement.”
“About production: it takes 4-5 weeks to prepare 5-6 shelters, including steel production, assembly of the structure and interior arrangement. The finished structure can be loaded onto a truck, delivered, unloaded and buried. (…) The main purpose of these points is to continuously control troops in a safe environment. If they are properly installed (…), they provide protection against artillery hits of up to 152 caliber,” the top manager explained.
He also emphasized that these control centers are very much needed now, and the company continues to produce them – currently, about five more are in the process of being assembled, which will be distributed to the areas and brigades at the front line. The next stages of production are currently being discussed.
“All the sites where the products are manufactured, including mine trawls, command posts and hideouts, are located outside our facilities. We care about the safety of people working at these sites. In total, about 400-500 employees of Metinvest are constantly involved in the production of defense products. There are opportunities for expansion for almost all types of products, but we are currently limited in the number of people we can employ in this production. (…) We are trying to work closely with the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Defense,” said the COO.
Currently, the main areas of focus are mine clearance (mine trawls) and the provision of shelters and fortifications, as well as their modification. The production of “hideouts” for drone operators is currently being discussed, and another area is being developed, which concerns stabilization medical centers.
“I think in a month or so we will be able to show in more detail what it is and how our medics will be able to use it – the medical stations are currently under development, and we will soon make the first one,” Myronenko summarized.
Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group has started manufacturing and supplying steel bunker headquarters to the Ukrainian Armed Forces to protect them from enemy shelling as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front initiative.
According to the company’s press release on Friday, Metinvest has launched the production of steel underground command posts that protect personnel from the effects of shelling and enable the Ukrainian Armed Forces to operate in safe and comfortable conditions on the front line. The first steel headquarters, designed for 30 soldiers, has already been delivered to the Ukrainian Army free of charge and installed in one of the hottest areas of the frontline.
It is explained that the command post helps to save lives of the military, as it can be deployed and retracted on the front line in a short time and, if properly installed, provides protection against artillery fire of any caliber. The steel headquarters consists of five or six (depending on the configuration) separate mobile bunkers, the production of which Metinvest mastered in October 2022. These are interconnected underground shelters that perform various functions, from living quarters and a sanitary area to the command’s working headquarters. This creates a whole underground complex of buildings.
The bunkers, made of corrugated steel, are equipped with all the necessary equipment for a good hotel: sleeping and working areas, showers and boilers, heating, lighting and communication systems, storage for weapons and personal belongings, and electronic equipment. This makes it possible to use the underground headquarters not only as a shelter and a place of rest, but also as a work area that ensures the quality of the command’s work on the front line.
Metinvest’s Chief Operating Officer Alexander Mironenko noted that the war is long and combat operations have become a constant companion of every Ukrainian, especially those who defend the country in the ranks of the Armed Forces. Therefore, the development of improved bunkers and entire underground complexes is a contribution of Metinvest and Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front to improving the lives of soldiers on the front line.
“People are the most important thing. And if we can not only create a safe space from shelling but also make it as comfortable as possible, we do it. I hope that there will be more and more such control points on the front line, and these “underground towns” will become a reliable support for the command of military units. Metinvest is also planning to develop new configurations of underground steel complexes for other needs of the Armed Forces. That is why we will not stop until Ukraine wins,” commented Mr. Mironenko on the handover of the first command post to the Armed Forces.
The new command posts are based on a traditional bunker model – a “kryivka” – which Metinvest has already delivered to various brigades of the Armed Forces since 2022. The design of the standard steel bunker was modified for use as part of a permanent headquarters, with dimensions increased to 6 meters long and 2.3 meters high. Each “hideout” is designed for six people and is equipped with places for rest, storage of personal belongings and an integrated heating system. It takes about 400 hours for Metinvest’s specialists to make one such structure.
“The advantage of our army over the enemy is that we fight with quality and brains. And at the same time, we are able to make informed decisions quickly, because the lives of our soldiers and the success of combat operations are at stake. That’s why we strive to ensure the safety and create comfortable conditions for the military’s work and rest even at ground zero, in the heat of war. Command posts based on modular shelters meet the army’s request and allow us to set up fortified headquarters on the front line, which will fulfill their main task – to control the battle and inflict a crushing defeat on the enemy in any situation,” said Brigadier General Volodymyr Horbatiuk.
In total, since the beginning of the full-scale war, Metinvest has allocated UAH 4.8 billion to support Ukraine and Ukrainians. Of this amount, over UAH 2.5 billion was provided to the soldiers as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative. The company has donated 150,000 bulletproof vests, 25,000 helmets and helmets, 80,000 anti-tank hedgehogs, 31,500 turnstiles, 1,500 drones, 2,000 thermal imagers, 500 vehicles, dozens of mine trawlers for tanks, patrol boats and lance catchers.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of steel and mining companies. The Group’s enterprises are located mainly in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovs’k regions. The main shareholders of the holding are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%), which jointly manage it. Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group, including its associates and joint ventures, paid UAH 14.6 billion in taxes and duties to the budgets of all levels in Ukraine in 2023.
According to the company’s press release on Wednesday, Metinvest remains the backbone of the country’s economy in the face of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The press release specifies that the largest deductions include a unified social tax, which amounted to UAH 3.3 billion, income tax – UAH 3.2 billion, and personal income tax – more than UAH 3 billion.
At the same time, last year Metinvest’s Ukrainian enterprises increased land payments by almost 10% compared to 2022, to UAH 1.2 billion. Environmental tax payments also increased to UAH 608 million.
In addition, subsoil use fees in the amount of UAH 2.2 billion became a significant source of revenues for the state and local budgets of Ukraine in 2023.
Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest Group, noted that the company had survived another extremely difficult year of war. Despite the serious challenges for the country in general and Ukrainian business in particular, it managed to survive and rebuild its operations in the new environment.
“Despite the problems with asset utilization and the aggressor’s naval blockade, despite the loss of control over assets in Mariupol, the shutdown of Avdiivka Coke and a significant reduction in the number of employees due to the war, Metinvest remains one of the largest taxpayers in Ukraine. And the refusal of tax benefits due to the company under the law allowed us to allocate additional funds to those areas where it is most needed. We continue to support Ukrainians and the army on their path to victory and call on every business to join in and support Ukraine through taxes, donations, assistance to the Armed Forces and civilians during the challenges we are all facing now,” the top manager emphasized.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of steel and mining companies. The group’s enterprises are located mainly in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovs’k regions.
The main shareholders of the holding are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%), which jointly manage it.
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.