Steel Front
| Abbreviation | RASF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2022 |
| Type | Charitable organization |
| Purpose | Fundraising support for Ukraine |
Official language | English, Ukrainian |
| Website | steelfront |
Steel Front is an PR-initiative launched by the Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other defence forces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.[1][2]
The organization provides assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, territorial defenders, the National Guard, National Police, Main Intelligence Directorate, and other military and law enforcement units. As of November 2022, the total amount of assistance reached UAH 3 billion.[3]
Projects with partners and brands[edit]
Azovstal steel bracelets to support Ukrainian Army[edit]
Metinvest Group and the United24 fundraising platform created a limited series of bracelets made from the last pre-war batch of metal produced by the Mariupol-based Azovstal as part of the Symbol of Invincibility initiative.[4]
All the proceeds from the sale of the bracelets will be donated to the Army of Drones project. This is a comprehensive programme implemented jointly by the United24 fundraising platform, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and the State Special Communications Service to purchase, repair, and promptly replace drones and train pilots on a regular basis.[5]
Every bracelet contains 5 g of steel from the last batch produced by Azovstal before 24 February 2022.
The Metinvest Group participates in the Symbol of Invincibility project as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative.
Cooperation with Lviv Defence Cluster to produce body armour[edit]
Thanks to its partnership with the Lviv Defence Cluster, designated by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine as the primary coordinator of the volunteer movement to arrange the production of body armour, Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front provides bulletproof vests to the military and other specialists working in the combat area.
Lviv Defence Cluster received over 500 tonnes of steel plates from Metinvest Group for free and used it to manufacture much of the 80,000 bulletproof vests for the Ukrainian military.
Projects[edit]
Metinvest[edit]
Bulletproof vests made of Metinvest steel[edit]
In March 2022, Metinvest started mass production of armoured plates to meet the needs of the Territorial Defence forces.[6]
The company’s experts developed a technology for the smelting, pressure shaping, cutting and heat treating of finished plates. Armoured plates made of Metinvest steel were tried, tested, and certified. The first batch of 90,000 units was sent to the frontlines in spring.[7]
As of early November, the Ukrainian army had received 156,000 bulletproof vests as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front initiative.[8]
The bulletproof vests are provided to the military as well as utility workers, emergency repair teams and crews of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine who clean the debris and comb the rubble after enemy attacks in the frontline cities and towns.[9]
Since the beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Metinvest has started production of military anti-tank and anti-landing hedgehogs, as well as spike strips against wheeled vehicles, which they then send to the front line.[10]
Special prefabricated shelters[edit]
Highlighted by Bloomberg, prefabricated dugouts, or portable steel war shelters, are the latest development of Metinvest’s specialists.[11]
These are special shelters for strengthening trenches that can be used as full-fledged field accommodations. They have recreation areas for the soldiers and minimum necessary amenities for daily life, places for potbelly stoves and openings for pipes, drains for water, and an emergency exit with a ladder.[12]
The metal structures are designed to be assembled after delivery, with no cargo cranes needed. The capsules can withstand hits from 150-mm shells once buried 1.5 metres under the ground, and one shelter costs about UAH 200,000. Like all other equipment and protective gear, Metinvest delivers the shelters to the military free of charge.[13]
Domestic field kitchens[edit]
Ukrainian soldiers will receive 400 field kitchens from the Steel Front initiative. Rinat Akhmetov’s companies have already supplied 110 field kitchens to the front, and are ready to provide 267 more units. At least 550 field kitchens will be manufactured before the winter of 2022 comes.[14]
According to Metinvest’s press office statement of 27 October, the assistance is provided as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative. Metinvest companies have set up special teams consisting of metalworkers and electric/gas welders to produce field kitchens. They prepare the materials, prefabricate parts, and perform welding work. The foremen make the drawings themselves, and it takes a team of four people 16 hours to produce one field kitchen. The field kitchens are used for heating dugouts, drying clothes, boiling water and cooking meals, the company noted. Metinvest produces different types of field kitchens, depending on the materials available. They include flat metal products, pipes, and cylinder-shaped metal constructions used for manufacturing the field kitchen foundation. Openings are then made, one for the ash dump door and one for a chimney stack. Metinvest produced turbo stoves together with Ukrtransgaz.[15]
A turbo stove is primarily designed to cook food. It does not require much fuel, and its design allows for the generation of maximum heat and ensures stable temperatures.
Currently, about 130 turbo stoves have been made of Metinvest’s steel by Ukrtransgaz and sent to the front lines.
In addition, Metinvest purchases cars, drones, emergency military tourniquets, and first-aid kits. It has provided about 3 tonnes of sand and gravel and 2,500 reinforced concrete blocks and slabs to arrange checkpoints and strengthen social infrastructure facilities, as well as metal for mini-bastions and other defence structures.
Ukrtelecom[edit]
Ukrtelecom provides Valkyrie drones to the Ukrainian army[edit]
Rinat Akhmetov’s Ukrtelecom has ordered the production of a significant number of Valkyrie unmanned aerial vehicles and has already handed over the first three drones to the Ukrainian army. In addition, Ukrtelecom is doing everything it can to secure unbroken communications for the Ukrainian military, government authorities, businesses, and all Ukrainian people. Internet access is 90% of pre-war coverage as of 2022.[16]
Satellite artillery fire control systems[edit]
As part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative, Metinvest Group has purchased 15 satellite artillery fire control systems for Ukrainian defenders. The company donated a total of UAH 9 million for this purchase.[17]
This equipment is used for fire control observation, and includes satellite comms modules, thermal imagers, range finders, and GSM modules. One system costs about UAH 600,000, and the batch is worth around UAH 9 million.
Other help[edit]
Since the outbreak of the war, the company has provided about 3,000 tactical first-aid kits, 4,000 military tourniquets, 2,000 hemostatic bandages and dressings, 50 stretchers, 23 generators, over 180 two-way radios, and over 100 activated satellite phones for uninterrupted communications. Ukrtelecom has also provided 171 company cars for the needs of the military.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ Сталевий Фронт
- ↑ Сталевий Фронт Ріната Ахметова
- ↑ Група "Метінвест" з початку року сплатила 18 млрд грн податків
- ↑ Символ незламності
- ↑ United24 презентувала браслети з металу "Азовсталі". Кошти підуть на дрони
- ↑ Бронежилети і персональний захист
- ↑ "Метінвест" надасть захисникам України 90 тисяч бронежилетів
- ↑ Унікальні бронежилети
- ↑ "Метінвест" допомагає забезпечити українських рятувальників амуніцією, касками та бронежилетами в умовах війни
- ↑ "Метінвест" з початку бойових дій виготовив понад 35 тисяч сталевих протитанкових їжаків
- ↑ "Метінвест" передає українським військовим модульні укриття для бліндажів
- ↑ Українські бійці отримали спеціальні металеві укриття
- ↑ "Метінвест" передав захисникам України вже 25 мобільних укриттів
- ↑ Бізнесмени допомагають армії
- ↑ "Метінвест" і "Укртрансгаз" виготовлятимуть польові пічки
- ↑ "Укртелеком" Ахметова передав Нацгвардії безпілотний авіаційний комплекс "Валькірія"
- ↑ "Метінвест" передав ЗСУ супутникові артилерійські комплекси наведення вогню на 9 млн грн
External links[edit]
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