Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group has spent $209 mln to support Ukraine and its citizens since the beginning of the full-scale war, of which 57% for the army within the framework of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front militarized initiative, 23% for employee assistance, 17% for humanitarian and other projects, and 4% for medical assistance.
According to Metinvest’s presentation at the Barclays ESG Emerging Markets Corporate Day, dated June 26 of this year, the group provided protective equipment to the personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard, the National Defense Forces and the National Police in support of the military.
At the same time 370 mobile shelters, 150 thousand bulletproof vests, most of which are made with Metinvest armored steel plate, 25 thousand helmets, 2000 thermal imagers and other equipment were purchased and sent to the military. The company manufactured and supplied the defenders of Ukraine with 250 fake military equipment targets, 80 thousand anti-tank hedgehogs and spiked chains, 70 mobile buggies and 5,000 field ovens.
More than 4,900 reconnaissance drones were also sent to the military. To protect Ukraine on the water, the group donated 10 high-speed boats and 800 self-inflating life jackets.
Metinvest’s Ukrainian assets donated 520 vehicles, 100 ambulances and 1.4 million liters of fuel to the front lines. The group also invested in the construction of a mine action center to train specialists in demining areas after combat operations.
As part of humanitarian and other projects, Metinvest, together with other SCM companies and with the assistance of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, in particular, created and finances the “Saving Life” humanitarian aid center with the provision of food and other essentials.
As part of medical aid, the company supplies vital medicines, equipment and consumables to local hospitals. The Group financed the development of medical services and reconstruction of hospitals. Together with the Puls charitable foundation, the group promotes the development of tactical medicine.
Social projects include supporting its employees and their families by providing psychological services, introducing an additional bonus for employees, and developing a program for veterans of the AFU. In 2023, the group’s workforce decreased by 7% year-on-year, with about 6,000 employees serving in the defense forces at the end of last year.
Amid the war, the group has focused on improving safety at work – health and safety expenditure increased by 16% in 2023 compared to 2022.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical companies. The group’s enterprises are located primarily 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 the holding. Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
Norway has joined a coalition to support Ukraine in the field of air defense, the press service of the Norwegian government reports.
“It is quite natural for Norway to be part of such an air defense coalition. Norwegian NASAMS contributes to saving Ukrainian lives and protecting critical infrastructure every day,” said Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram.
The press release notes that the Norwegian government has already joined three coalitions that provide military support to Ukraine. These are the Maritime Coalition, which Norway leads jointly with the United Kingdom, the F-16 Coalition, under which the Norwegian government will provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and train the Ukrainian Armed Forces in their operation, and the Air Defense Coalition, led by Germany and France.
“We have stated that we will provide support where it is most needed. Air defense is on Ukraine’s list of priorities. It is absolutely necessary to protect military departments, cities and critical infrastructure necessary to support the life of society,” the head of the Norwegian Defense Ministry emphasized.
As reported, on February 14, France and Germany launched a coalition in Brussels to support Ukrainian air defense within the framework of the Contact Group on Ukraine’s Defense.
27 EU leaders have agreed on an additional €50 billion package of support for Ukraine within the EU budget, European Council President Charles Michel said.
“We have an agreement. We have unity. All 27 leaders have agreed on an additional €50 billion package of support for Ukraine within the EU budget. This provides sustainable, long-term and predictable funding for Ukraine. The EU is taking the lead and responsibility in supporting Ukraine; we know what is at stake,” Michel wrote on social media platform X on Thursday.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has expressed confidence that Poland and Slovakia will continue to support Ukraine after the upcoming elections, despite recent harsh remarks against Kyiv, Reuters reported on Friday, September 29.
“I expect and I am confident that Ukraine and Poland will find a way to resolve these issues without negatively affecting military support for Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said in an interview with Reuters.
It is noted that Poland, a NATO member, was until recently considered one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies in its war with Russia, but relations with it deteriorated after Poland’s decision to extend the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain.
Slovakia, a NATO member, is also an ally of Ukraine, supplying military equipment, including MiG-29 fighter jets and S-300 air defense systems. However, opposition leader and former prime minister Robert Fico, who is leading in pre-election polls, has vowed to end this military support, Reuters emphasizes.
“Whatever the new government in Slovakia, we will continue to sit in NATO meetings,” Stoltenberg said, “and I am confident that we will find ways to continue to provide support – as we have done after every election in this alliance since the beginning of the war.
European Union leaders say they will continue to fully support Ukraine by providing political, economic, military, financial and humanitarian aid for as long as needed.
This is the case in the conclusions on Ukraine adopted at a European Council meeting Thursday in Brussels.
“The European Union firmly and fully supports Ukraine and will continue to provide strong political, economic, military, financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine and its people for as long as necessary. The European Union and member states will intensify their efforts to help meet Ukraine’s urgent military and defense needs,” the document said.
In addition, the findings state that the European Union remains committed to supporting Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction in coordination with international partners. “In this context, the European Council reiterates the EU’s full support for the establishment of an international mechanism to record the damage caused by Russia. Together with partners, the European Union will continue to step up efforts to use frozen and immobilized Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine and to make reparations in accordance with EU law and international law,” the text said.
EU leaders also welcomed Ukraine’s commitment and efforts to implement reforms and underlined the importance of Ukraine’s accession process in line with its earlier conclusions, in particular those of June 23-24, 2022.
The Norwegian government is preparing to invest about NOK 1.5 billion in the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine.
According to the Norwegian government’s website, the investment comes in addition to the NOK 400 million that Norway previously donated to the fund. The funding was used to purchase drones, drone suppression equipment and artillery shells.
The new donation is part of the NOK 3 billion that the Norwegian government will provide for military support to Ukraine in 2022.
