As part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative, Metinvest Group donated light equipment – buggies and five motorcycles worth a total of around UAH 2 million – to soldiers of the 15th Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, Kara-Dag, according to a press release on Monday.
“The enemy is increasingly using FPV drones, which makes the use of heavy armored vehicles extremely difficult. Buggies, on the other hand, are fast, inconspicuous, and allow combat missions to be carried out effectively. We are additionally equipping them with protection, and they are used to deliver personnel, ammunition, support drone pilots, and perform other tasks,” said Deputy Brigade Commander Oleksandr Ryasny.
According to him, this type of transport is currently becoming increasingly in demand on the front lines.
In addition to buggies, the National Guard also received motorcycles, which will help them move even faster on the front line.
“Motorcycles are what is particularly needed now for rapid movement and covert operations on the battlefield. They allow us to deliver provisions, ammunition, and personnel in the shortest possible time,” said Deputy Brigade Commander Yevstakhiy Mospan.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion within the Steel Front, the company has provided more than UAH 5 billion in assistance to the army.
As part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative, mining and metallurgical group Metinvest has handed over 33 vehicles – pickups and off-road vehicles – worth a total of UAH 25 million to a brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard.
According to a press release, the group continues to enhance the mobility of Ukrainian units on the front lines.
It is specified that the vehicles were purchased across Europe and are mainly high-clearance vehicles that have already proven themselves in combat conditions. Among those handed over are Mitsubishi L200, Volkswagen Amarok, VW Transporter, and other models. Some of the vehicles are equipped with additional protection and reinforced running gear.
The transfer of equipment took place taking into account the needs of the brigade: some of the vehicles are already on combat missions, while the rest are being retrofitted.
“For Metinvest and Steel Front, this is systematic work – we regularly provide the military with transport, electronic warfare equipment, shelters, drones, and other equipment. This batch of vehicles is another step in this support strategy,” commented Alexander Vodoviz, Head of the CEO’s Office at Metinvest.
Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group has handed over three 3D printers to the National Guard of Ukraine as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative.
According to a press release, the important batch of aid was handed over to the NGU servicemen: three 3D printers and 18 kilograms of special plastic for printing components.
“Printing components on such printers is now a very popular technology among the military. It was not easy to find the equipment, it took us about 1.5 months. However, the 3D printers have been purchased and our defenders are already using them in their own workshops,” said Alexander Mironenko, Chief Operating Officer of Metinvest Group, as quoted by the press service.
According to Andriy Belyaev, commander of the 23rd Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, the 3D printers will be used to quickly print and replace some spare parts that can only be produced with such modern equipment.
“First of all, it will be used for automotive equipment. It will also be used to repair reconnaissance drones used to protect critical state facilities within the area of responsibility of the National Guard of Ukraine,” said Belyaev.
“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.