For more than 300 years, history has been teaching us that freedom and independence are virtues the Ukrainians have to fight for with fire, sword and continuous resistance. No one has any doubts today that our freedom takes diligent work. Today’s date is the best proof of that. August 24 is Ukraine’s Independence Day and the day that marks six months since the full-scale invasion of our land by the enemy.
These are the six months, during which we – like all other Ukrainians – resist the invaders with our hard work, holding the Front of Steel.
VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT AMONG STEEL WORKERS
The first thing we began to do is helping the civilians, who suffered the most from combat actions. These people never held weapons in their hands and they could not believe until the last that their houses could be destroyed so mercilessly.
From the first months of the full-scale invasion, Zaporizhstal became a base of the a humanitarian hub. Humanitarian aid, which became available due to the joint charitable project of Metinvest, DTEK and the Rinat Akhmetov “Saving Lives” Foundation, is delivered here; this is where food supplies are packed to be donated by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation. During the six months of the aggressor’s cruel actions, 51,392 Ukrainians have received humanitarian aid from Metinvest, DTEK and the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation in Zaporizhzhia. Life sustaining packages were prepared by tirelessly working and caring volunteers from among company employees . Almost 400 employees of Metinvest enterprises in Zaporizhzhia were involved in the work of the hub. To this day, dozens of volunteers take turns every day to continue preparing and shipping aid to socially vulnerable groups of population in Zaporizhzhia and other regions of the country.
STARTING LIFE ALL OVER
Among the civilians who suffered from combat actions, there are many of our colleagues from Ilyich Steel, Azovstal and Avdiivka Coke. Some try to start their life from scratch here in Zaporizhzhia. We are doing everything we can to help them in this process. About 7,000 displaced people found a shelter at the company’s social facilities in Zaporizhzhia.
Another step towards coming back to normal life in a new place is having a job, because it gives hard working people assurance and confidence in their own capabilities. During the full-scale invasion, the Metinvest Career Centre in Zaporizhzhia helped almost 700 Ukrainians find jobs at Metinvest enterprises in Zaporizhzhia and municipal companies. With the help of Metinvest, about 100 people went through training to acquire new job skills.
Every one of us tries to support our colleagues, yet we understand that their homes and hearts are left in the cities, where they used to live. We wish they can soon return there after our common victory.
SUPPORTING THE MEDICAL FRONT
The medical front has been one more area where we have seen a large need for aid. Medical staff in hospitals and military medics are working at their limits. All we can do is give them good tools so that they can do their work more efficiently.
Together with the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, Metinvest Group has donated over 482,000 items of medical equipment and medications for medical institutions in Ukraine worth more than UAH 52 million.
Also, hospitals still need medical oxygen. Therefore, specialists of the oxygen compressor shop continue to supply the necessary oxygen. During the six months of Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty, Zaporizhstal has supplied about 425 tons of medical oxygen free of charge to save lives.
ARMOURED VESTS AND OTHER MILITARY AID
We understand that we can go out to work every day or help as volunteers thanks to our defenders who bravely defend the Ukrainian land, while we are trying to defend them in the way we can. Metinvest enterprises in Zaporizhzhia handed over c.21,500 armoured vests equipped with the Metinvest made armour plates. Yet, this figure is not final, because we will continue to provide our defenders with reliable military gear.
Metinvest enterprises also took an active part in building up the line of defence for the land of Zaporizhzhia.
MANUFACTURING SITES CONTINUE TO OPERATE
The Front of Steel is impossible without the production of steel. Metinvest enterprises continue to operate – Zaporizhstal, Zaporizhzhia Coke, Zaporizhzhia Refractory Plant and Zaporizhzhia Foundry and Mechanical Plant. With our work, we support the country’s economy: Metinvest enterprises in Zaporizhzhia have paid over UAH 2.3 billion of taxes during the first six months of 2022, of which UAH 430,558 thousand have been paid to the local budget.
The amount of work we have done together with our friends, colleagues and partners is enormous. We understand, however, that our Front of Steel doesn’t stop there. Zaporizhzhia steel workers continue to help and work until the victory. We wish soon victory to every one who lives in our Homeland. Countrymen, happy Independence Day!