Ukrainian military IL-76 aircraft delivered coronavirus test kits, medical protective masks, respirators, protective suits, gloves and goggles, ventilators, disinfectants and infrared thermometers.
The state enterprise "Ukrvaktsina" (Ukrainian Vaccine) will distribute the medical supplies to local authorities, medical institutions and universities of Kyiv and Kyiv region, Kharkiv, Odessa, Lutsk, Lviv, Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Zhitomir and Sumy regions.
Metinvest Group spent USD 250,000 to organize the flight from Beijing to Borispol. The plane landed in Borispol on the morning of June 24. The humanitarian cargo was met by Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Yenin, Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine Ihor Ivashchenko, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Ukraine Fan Xianrong and Metinvest Group CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov.
Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest Group:
"Metinvest Group, as well as the Foundations of its shareholders Rinat Akhmetov and Vadym Novynskiy, have been involved in the fight against coronavirus in Ukraine since the first days – approximately UAH 500 million have been jointly channeled for this purpose. Under the agreement with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Metinvest decided to finance the flight carrying humanitarian cargo, which was handed over to Ukrainians by ordinary Chinese citizens. It is a gesture of goodwill on the part of the Chinese people, which we appreciate very much."
Fan Xianrong, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Ukraine:
"In this common fight against the new virus, the efforts of all relevant parties - the central and regional governments, enterprises - are needed. Business shall be an integral part of this process. Therefore, Ukrainian and Chinese businesses closely interact with each other. Ukraine supported China at the very beginning of the epidemic, and we in turn come to the rescue at the moment when your country needs it."
Yevgen Yenin, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine:
"This is a gesture of solidarity of the Chinese people with the Ukrainian people in the fight against COVID-19 epidemic. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the representatives of the Chinese government, the organizations that granted this humanitarian cargo, and to Metinvest, which financed the flight to deliver this cargo."
Reference
Rinat Akhmetov was the first to come to the country's aid back in February. He pooled the resources of his Charitable Foundation, FC Shakhtar, DTEK, Metinvest and other SCM assets to help Ukraine and allocated UAH 300 million to fight COVID-19 as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation's "Fight against COVID-19 in Ukraine" project. They are aimed at addressing the country's most important medical needs, which have been identified in coordination with the Ministry of Health. The "Fight against COVID-19 in Ukraine" project became the part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation’s “Save Lives Program”.
Rinat Akhmetov's Foundation together with Metinvest Group has purchased 300 thousand express tests for coronavirus for the whole country. They have been transferred to the Stabilization Fund initiated by the President of Ukraine, and are now made available in the regions. Rinat Akhmetov's Foundation has purchased and delivered to Ukraine another 20,000 express tests for coronavirus detection. They are intended for those who risk their lives the most today - ambulance doctors. Almost 10,000 medical workers from regional emergency and disaster medicine centers in Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Rivne, Vinnytsia, Lviv and Zhytomyr received highly accurate tests.
The Foundation has purchased and handed over 200 modern ventilators to Ukrainian health workers. Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation has done almost impossible - ventilators have been searched for all over the world. Doctors themselves admit that today it is almost impossible to buy high-quality ventilators, as they are of urgent requirement in every country in the world. It was a difficult task, but Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation coped with it. Two hundred ventilators are already being delivered to Ukraine and the transfer to public hospitals in the regions of the country is under preparation.
In early June, the Foundation delivered 32 ventilators to the country. This is the largest batch that has crossed the border of Ukraine since the beginning of the quarantine. The devices were immediately sent to the state medical institutions of the country.
On the occasion of the professional day of health workers, the doctors working with COVID in the intensive care units of hospitals, which received ventilators from Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation, were presented with certificates for special work-wear. The overalls will be produced under a special order, individually for each doctor.