France will hand over 100 drones ordered from drone manufacturer Delair to the Ukrainian Armed Forces this summer, Defense Minister Sebastian Le Coronneu said.
“As part of an innovative program, France has ordered 100 unmanned aerial vehicles from Delair, which will arrive in Ukraine this summer. A total of 2,000 remotely piloted vehicles will be purchased from our defense industry. For the needs of our army and Ukraine,” the minister wrote on social network X on Thursday, February 29.
Passengers have bought 183,500 bags of Gemini tea worth over UAH 3.6 million on Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) trains, of which UAH 1 million will be used to purchase Ukrainian FPV drones Hrom, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said on his Telegram account.
“Everyone who travels by train can help the Defense Forces. To do this, you need to buy Gemini tea. Part of the funds from each bag will be used to buy drones for the military,” the minister emphasized.
UZ noted that such tea can be ordered in the app, chatbot, or on the website, as well as directly on the train (except for Intercity+). The cost of the drink is UAH 20, of which UAH 5.5 from each bag goes to raise funds that will be transferred through the UNITED24 platform for the purchase of Ukrainian-made FPV copters “Thunder”. The cost of one such drone is UAH 21 thousand.
Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works and Metinvest Group have handed over two modern DJI Mavic 3 reconnaissance drones to the Ukrainian Armed Forces as part of the Rinat Akhmetov Steel Front military initiative.
According to the company’s statement on Friday, the delivery took place this week.
“Ukrainian defenders use drones for reconnaissance, correction or strike. However, their first and most important mission is to contribute to saving the lives of the personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. That’s why we can never have too many copters, and we systematically transfer these “birds” to our defenders. Today, two more Mavic drones from Zaporizhstal and Metinvest are on their way to the National Guard,” Yevgeny Avdzhi, Zaporizhstal’s procurement director, commented on the situation, as quoted by the press service.
It is specified that the DJI Mavic 3 is the most needed and popular model of drones in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which helps to detect and destroy the enemy on the front line. The copter is used for reconnaissance and fire control. The competitive advantage of this model is its excellent optics and navigation. Two new Mavic drones have already been delivered to the Donetsk sector, where a Zaporizhstal employee with the call sign “Thunder” serves in the Armed Forces.
“Zaporizhstal and Metinvest always support their employees. And even now, when we are at the front line, the company does not stand aside, the soldier noted.
“Today we received two reconnaissance drones. These drones are our eyes at the front. They help us to detect the accumulation of military equipment and enemy manpower and then, if necessary, adjust our fire. This drone is operated remotely from a control panel. The pilot sees in real time where, what is located and what is happening, and then a decision is made to evacuate or fire,” explained Hrom.
“The Steel Front is an initiative that brings together all the military assistance provided by Rinat Akhmetov’s SCM businesses to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, medical workers and critical infrastructure. From the first day of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Rinat Akhmetov’s businesses (Metinvest, DTEK, FUIB, Ukrtelecom and others) and FC Shakhtar started helping the defenders of Ukraine by buying and delivering protective equipment, first aid kits, vehicles, fuel and more. As part of the military initiative, the soldiers also receive modern copters on a regular basis, which, as the military say, become their eyes on the front line. As part of the Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative, Metinvest Group has supplied more than 1,200 modern copters to Ukrainian defenders.
“Zaporizhstal is one of the largest industrial enterprises in Ukraine, whose products are in great demand among consumers both in the domestic market and in many countries around the world. The plant specializes in high-quality steel hot-rolled coils, hot-rolled sheets, cold-rolled sheets, cold-rolled coils made of carbon and low-alloy steels, as well as steel strips, ferrous tin, and bent sections.
The main consumers of the products are producers of welded pipes, automotive, transport and agricultural machinery companies, and manufacturers of household appliances.
“Zaporizhstal is in the process of integration into Metinvest Group, whose major shareholders are System Capital Management (71.24%) and Smart Holding Group (23.76%).
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
The Foundation of American public figure and businessman Howard Graham Buffett is preparing to provide Kharkiv region with experimental drones that will help identify mines from the air, the OVA head Oleg Sinegubov said.
“The Howard Buffett Foundation wants to provide us with experimental drones to detect from the air, survey the area and map (the location) of mines with the corresponding coordinates,” Sinegubov said at a briefing on Tuesday.
“At the moment, this equipment is already receiving all export licenses and certificates in the United States. As soon as they pass, they will immediately enter the territory of the Kharkov region. This fund has identified the territory of the Kharkiv region as a priority,” the head of the OVA added.
As it was reported earlier, Buffett donated four modern mobile DNA laboratories ANDE 6C and 300 chips to them, which conduct express analysis of DNA samples, as well as 19 powerful generators to ensure the operation of critical and social infrastructure facilities in the region during power outages resulting from armed Russian aggression, to Kharkiv police.
As is well known, Kharkiv region is considered the most contaminated with explosives in Ukraine.
Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group, as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front militarized initiative, handed over four modern drones to scouts in the Avdiivka direction, continuing to support Ukraine’s defenders in the fight against the Russian aggressor.
The company’s press release specifies that the tactical equipment provided protects operators’ lives from enemy attacks, as specialists can control the drone from long distances without exposing themselves to direct danger.
“They (drones – IF) are effective for suppressing the enemy, artillery work and at night for infantry, because lately the enemy is very much making installation for night maneuvers, for night advancement,” explains Colonel Alexander Danilchenko of the AFU, quoted by the press service, noting the productive assistance of Metinvest, which it began to provide since March last year.
At the same time, it is noted that for eleven months Avdeevka has been subjected to hostile shelling. Stubborn battles are going on nearby every day, as the enemy is trying to expand the borders of the occupation. However, the AFU and defense forces are heroically defending the city and neighboring frontline territories.
“In Avdeevka we have not conceded a single step, even in some positions we have advanced,” Danilchenko stressed.
The press release reminds that Metinvest Group is one of the first companies in Ukraine to start supplying drones to the AFU.
“The company systematically supplies our military with body armor and helmets, burners and fuel, helps to equip defensive structures and transfers mobile shelters made of strong steel. Today we are making another contribution to the forthcoming common victory over the invaders. I am sure that the “birds” will be useful and will help our defenders to repulse the enemy”, noted Acting General Director of Avdiivka KHP Yuriy Ktsinenko.
It is also reported that Metinvest organizes the search and delivery of important tactical equipment and machinery to Ukraine in order to strengthen the army’s defense capabilities in different parts of the front. The company has already transferred approximately 1,700 thermal imaging cameras, 1,000 drones and quadcopters, and 312 vehicles, including ambulances, to the fighters. And 1 million liters of fuel have been provided to refuel the vehicles.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical enterprises. Its enterprises are located in Ukraine – in Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk 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.
As part of the Steel Front military initiative founded by Rinat Akhmetov, more than 2,000 drones and walkie-talkies, 700 cars and half a million liters of fuel were handed over to Ukrainian soldiers, the businessman’s press service told Interfax-Ukraine.
He also handed over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine more than 150,000 bulletproof vests produced at SCM enterprises. “For this, metallurgists have mastered the technology of smelting special armored steel of a high level of protection, and also found contractors who sew plate carriers,” the press service reports.
In addition to bulletproof vests, the soldiers also received other means of protection: more than 20,000 helmets and 40,000 first-aid kits produced in accordance with NATO standards. “Because this war is primarily a war of high technology, Akhmetov has directed millions to purchase cars, drones and walkie-talkies – this is what gives our soldiers an advantage at the front,” the text says.
More than 1,011 modern drones and 1,292 walkie-talkies, 1,600 special devices (thermal imagers, rangefinders) have already been handed over to the military. To ensure the mobility of the units, the SCM businesses handed over more than 700 vehicles to the front, primarily reliable off-road vehicles, and provided them with fuel. In total, 595,000 liters of fuel were sent to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and peaceful cities.
“We do not plan to stop and will do everything to bring Ukraine’s victory closer. And we will definitely win,” Akhmetov said.
As reported, since the beginning of the war, SCM companies have sent over UAH 3 billion to help Ukraine and Ukrainians, and this figure is growing every day.
