Metinvest Aid Reaches UAH 1.9 Billion in 6 Months of War
Strategic Research Institute
Published on :
26 Aug, 2022, 6:13 am
Ukrainian steel maker Metinvest has spent over UAH 1.9 billion in aid for Ukraine during six months of war. Metinvest CEO Mr Yuriy Ryzhenkov said “For half of Ukraine’s history as an independent state, Metinvest has been there for Ukraine and has done everything in its power to make it thrive. The Group has invested money, resources and, most importantly, unfailing love. Now, as the country is going through its toughest times, we are not standing by idly; we are helping to bring victory closer. I thank our employees, the heroes of Steel Front, for this. I am convinced that together, we will win this war and will make Ukraine even stronger and more successful in the future.”
One of Metinvest’s largest projects has been dedicated to supplying gear for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, territorial defence units, National Guard, National Police, Defence Intelligence Corps and other forces. Metinvest also supplies protective gear for its mobilised employees, employees of public utilities, rescue workers, combat medics and national media representatives reporting from combat zones. The defence forces have now received more than 21,000 helmets from Metinvest. The Group has also donated around 110,000 bulletproof vests, some of which have been purchased abroad. Others have been made using certified specialty steel produced in-house. Metinvest-SMC, the Group’s sales company, supplies specialty steel to make protective equipment for front-line vehicles. Together with its partners, Metinvest has launched the production of other steel products to meet the military’s needs. For example, the troops have already received the first four special metal bunker-type shelters for the reinforcement of trenches. The structures have been produced at Metinvest’s JV in Zaporizhzhya.
The company has also handed over the first 6 tonnes of steel products for Ukrtransgas. This steel has already been used to manufacture and supply 80 outdoor stoves, 170 remote mine clearance devices and 120 mini-stoves made of sheet metal plates. In total, employees of Ukrtransgas plan to produce 5,000 items using a continuous supply of Metinvest steel.
Aside from this, the Group provides a variety of tactical equipment to the troops. In particular, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already received over 500 drones, 1,600 thermal imaging devices, 27,000 tourniquets and 500 first-aid kits from Metinvest.
The Group has supplied the defence forces with up to 500,000 liters of petrol and handed over more than 140 vehicles and pieces of heavy-duty machinery from its own fleet. Metinvest has also purchased 100 pickup trucks, jeeps and minivans for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and 20 ambulances for medics of the Defence Intelligence Corps.
For the construction of roadblocks and the reinforcement of social infrastructure, the Group has provided nearly 3,000 tonnes of sand and gravel, and 2,400 concrete blocks and slabs. It has also supplied steel for portable mini-bastions and other defensive structures. Nearly 76,000 anti-tank hedgehogs have been produced from Metinvest steel.
The facilities of Metinvest’s Pokrovske Coal subsidiary operate in a relatively stable manner. Pokrovske Colliery commissioned a new mining face in June, while Sviato-Varvarynska Beneficiation Factory is shipping premium coal concentrate. Metinvest’s businesses in Kryvyi Rih, Ingulets GOK and Northern GOK, and the Southern GOK joint venture suspended ore mining in early July 2022. Since then, Northern GOK temporarily resumed operations at reduced capacity. Central GOK has operated without major shutdowns, albeit at reduced capacity. The Zaporizhstal joint venture halted operations when the war started and then resumed them in early April. The facility currently operates at 50% of capacity, including a sinter plant, two of four blast furnaces and a steelmaking furnace. The plant has also launched a new product: double-weight seamless cold-rolled coils for construction applications. Although Kamet Steel has not suspended operations, it has gradually reduced the number of blast furnaces in operation. In July, its steelmakers resumed the production of railcar axles, which were previously made from the billets of Azovstal, and launched the production of MP-4 shaped sections and round sections with diameters of 22mm, 24mm and 26mm.
Regrettably, Azovstal and Ilyich Steel in Mariupol and Avdiivka Coke have suspended operations because of Russia’s invasion. The assets and city infrastructure have been shelled. Until the active phase of the Russian aggression comes to an end and Mariupol is de-occupied, it is impossible to fully assess the impact of the hostilities on these Group plants.