«From the very first day of the full-scale invasion — and throughout four years of relentless resistance — we have been living and operating in the reality of a major war. Despite all the challenges of this time, Metinvest has not only endured but has become a reliable pillar of support for Ukraine. We continue production and pay taxes, support the defence forces and civilians and care for our employees. Over this period, UAH 10.1 billion has been spent to support the state. Yet our greatest strength lies not in figures or status. It lies in our people — in the responsibility, professionalism and inner resilience of every employee who works each day toward our shared goal: victory and the country’s future recovery.»
Yuriy Ryzhenkov
Сhief executive officer of Metinvest
During four years of full-scale war, Metinvest has suffered some of the largest losses among major industrial businesses in Ukraine. The Group lost operational control over its assets in Mariupol and Avdiivka, and suspended operations at Pokrovske Coal.
Other production facilities in Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih and Kamianske continue operating at varying capacity levels, taking into account security, energy, logistics and economic factors.
Despite the challenges, the Group continues to invest systematically in Ukraine’s economy and in its own operations. According to the European Business Association (EBA), Metinvest was included among the largest Ukrainian wartime investors in its ranking of “Investment Leaders”.
Metinvest’s highest priority is safeguarding the health and lives of its people. For this reason, all of the Group’s Ukrainian facilities are equipped with shelters designed for extended stays. These shelters are stocked with water, food supplies and medical provisions.
The Group systematically invests in employee training: staff receive first-aid instruction and regularly rehearse response procedures in the event of wartime threats. This approach not only helps mitigate risks but also fosters a culture of responsibility and mutual support.
To strengthen its competitiveness in the steel market, Metinvest’s enterprises launched the production of 11 new products last year. Over more than a decade of war, the Group has introduced a total of 433 new products.
Metinvest continues to pursue the ‘green’ transformation of its production. Together with its partners, the Group is implementing the construction of the Metinvest Adria steel plant in Italy, which, in the future, will operate using Ukrainian raw materials and strengthen cooperation between Ukraine and the EU.
Another step toward European integration was the acquisition of a pipe plant in Romania with an annual production capacity of 240,000 tonnes. Rolled steel for pipe production at Metinvest Tubular Iași will be supplied by the Zaporizhstal JV.
At the same time, in Ukraine, Metinvest has launched a large-scale programme to increase production of DR pellets for green steel manufacturing and premium-grade raw materials for pig iron production. At Northern Iron Ore, the Group plans to build a flotation beneficiation complex to produce high-grade concentrate and modernise the pellet production line, including the LURGI 552-A pelletising machine.
Metinvest remains among Ukraine’s largest taxpayers: in 2025 alone, the Group and its JVs paid UAH 18.7 billion in taxes to budgets at all levels. Since 2022, Metinvest has contributed approximately UAH 74 billion to support the country’s economy.
Over four years of full-scale invasion, Metinvest has spent UAH 7.3 billion to support Ukraine’s defence forces. Assistance is provided as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front defence initiative. The Group is one of the largest private-sector donors to Ukraine’s defence forces.
Since the first days of the war, the steel products manufactured by Metinvest have served as a means of supporting the Ukrainian army. One of the Group’s most important developments has been the creation of mobile shelters — fortified steel structures that are buried underground and serve both as protective cover and field housing for soldiers. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Group has delivered 900 of these shelters to Ukraine’s defenders.
Based on these structures, Metinvest has established command posts and built two underground field hospitals along the frontline. The first of these facilities, which has already saved the lives of approximately 4,000 service members, was recognised with an international award from the UN Global Compact in Ukraine.
In addition, Metinvest has created Ukraine’s first underground training hub for the military. In Borodianka, in the Kyiv region, the Group built a new type of steel shelter for civilians —the “Citadel.” These modular structures can be easily adapted for schools, hospitals, industrial sites, residential neighbourhoods and frontline areas.
The Group has also launched the production of steel protective screens for military equipment, including Abrams, Bradley, T-64, T-72 and MT-LB models. Service members have already received 309 protective screens and shields.
Moreover, Metinvest has contributed to demining efforts: the Group’s specialists have launched the production of mine trawls designed to be mounted on tanks. A total of 31 such systems have been delivered to the frontline.
Together with the military, Metinvest is contributing to the construction of defensive lines. More than 200 kilometres of fortifications have been built in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia directions.
The Group’s steel is used to manufacture a wide range of defensive items, including steel plates for bulletproof vests, Lancet drone catchers, anti-tank hedgehogs, mini-bastions and mobile buggy vehicles.
Metinvest also provides the defence forces with reconnaissance, surveillance, communications and power supply equipment. In particular, the military has received more than 8,337 reconnaissance drones, 2,088 thermal imagers and units of high-precision observation optics, 765 backup power systems, 875 units of communication equipment and 795 vehicles, including ambulances. To fuel them, the Group has delivered 1.55 million litres of fuel.
In 2025, one of the largest drone deliveries, valued at UAH214 million, was provided to the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov”. Overall, last year Metinvest’s support for Azov units totalled UAH600 million.
The Group has also supplied 31,655 first aid kits and tourniquets to the armed forces and allocated nearly UAH26 million to advance tactical medicine in Ukraine in partnership with the PULSE charitable foundation.
Metinvest is one of Ukraine’s largest private employers of veterans. Over more than a decade of war, 11,000 of the Group’s employees have served in the defence forces, and around 1,000 have already returned to work at Metinvest’s enterprises. The Group is ready to employ both demobilised team members and veterans from the wider labour market.
Metinvest has established a comprehensive veterans’ support ecosystem that begins at the point of mobilisation and continues after employees return from the frontline, helping them adapt to civilian life and work. The ecosystem covers five key areas: psychological and physical rehabilitation, social support, professional adaptation and retraining, preparation of managers and teams for the return of colleagues, as well as assistance for mobilised employees and their families. In 2025, the Group allocated a total budget of US$550,000 for reintegration programmes for veterans.
Metinvest also supports former service members in the regions where it operates. In Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih and Kamianske, defenders can attend swimming sessions free of charge as part of the “Free Waves” rehabilitation project, based on the methodology of Olympic medallist Denys Sylantyev. With the Group’s support, the “Speak Up, Veteran” platform has also been launched to foster dialogue between veterans and professionals from various fields, and dedicated veteran hubs have been opened.
Despite the losses caused by the war, Metinvest remains Ukraine’s largest mining and metals company and one of the country’s leading employers, according to Focus media outlet. To address the labour shortage, the Group focuses on youth training, retraining programmes for women and the reintegration of veterans.
Around 4,000 engineering and technical vacancies are currently open across the Group’s enterprises. Metinvest offers employees the opportunity to retrain free of charge and obtain an additional qualification, including at the Metinvest Polytechnic university. In 2025, more than 150 future bachelor’s and master’s students enrolled at the university, along with 94 professional junior bachelor’s students admitted for the first time. Among the new students are 26 war veterans, including Metinvest employees and defenders of Mariupol.
The Group has introduced motivational programmes such as “First Job” and “Refer a Friend”, under which employees receive financial incentives. At Zaporizhstal, the “Steel Future” scholarship programme supports young people, currently engaging students of the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic Centre for Vocational Education. The programme is scheduled for further expansion in 2026.
Metinvest continues to care for the well-being of its employees and their families. The Group supported the evacuation and initial resettlement of workers from Mariupol, Avdiivka and Pokrovsk. It is also assisting those who remain in frontline regions by restoring homes damaged by shelling. In particular, Zaporizhstal allocated UAH 5.5 million to support employees whose homes were affected by destruction.
In the context of war, Metinvest provides financial assistance to employees who are getting married for the first time or welcoming a child. In 2024–2025, the total amount of such support exceeded UAH 8.4 million.
Since the start of the full-scale war, the “Metinvest Together” psychological support service has been available to employees and their family members. Over four years, specialists have conducted 13,603 consultations, including for service members and veterans. Dedicated group therapy sessions, “Brothers-in-Arms,” are also provided for military personnel and veterans.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, in coordination with the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, Metinvest launched the humanitarian project “Saving Lives,” which has already supported around 516,000 civilians across Ukraine. Thanks to donors and partners, approximately 4,200 tonnes of food, hygiene products and essential goods have been delivered to the country. Hospitals have received medicines and equipment worth UAH 9.5 million. Another important focus is the physical and psychological recovery of both military personnel and civilians. Almost 2,670 women and children affected by the war have improved their mental health through dedicated support programmes.
In the context of the full-scale war, Metinvest continues to invest in the development of the regions where it operates and in improving community well-being. Despite all the challenges faced since 2022, the Group has spent more than UAH 1.4 billion to support infrastructure facilities, education, healthcare and charitable projects.
In Kryvyi Rih, the Group has supported the major renovation of the outpatient clinic and the radiology department of City Hospital No. 3, as well as the overhaul of the main inpatient building of City Hospital No. 7. In the Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad regions, medical institutions have also received equipment and machinery. A major renovation of the gym at Shyroke Lyceum No. 1 has been completed with the support of Metinvest. In the Petrivka community, shelters have been equipped at the local lyceum and kindergarten, while the roof of the lyceum of the Hleiuvata Village Council is being replaced.
In Zaporizhzhia, in partnership with the civic initiative Insulate Ukraine, Metinvest financed the installation of 2,000 shatterproof “soft windows” in damaged schools and kindergartens. With the participation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, the city council and Metinvest, the city’s first multifunctional space, “Veteran PRO. Zaporizhzhia”, was opened in 2025 for war veterans and their families.
In Kamianske, Metinvest is upgrading healthcare facilities under memorandums of cooperation with the local community in 2024–2025: three hospitals have undergone major renovations, and protective shelters have been restored. At the end of 2025, Outpatient Clinic of General Practice – Family Medicine No. 7 was reopened following its refurbishment.
While supporting the state and Ukrainians during the war, the Group is also investing in the future. At the end of 2025, construction of housing for Mariupol IDPs began in Bila Tserkva under a new government initiative. The project provides for the construction of a complex of 16 buildings with 1,000 apartments using steel frame technology promoted through Metinvest’s “Steel Dream” concept. This approach will shorten construction timelines and reduce costs, with the first buildings expected to be completed within a year.