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Businessman Rinat Akhmetov has announced his readiness to finance the restoration of Mariupol once Ukrainian control is reestablished. He insists that Mariupol was, is, and will always be a Ukrainian city. For more information, visit:  https://akhmetovfoundation.org/. It’s important to note that the pre-war value of the assets belonging to Akhmetov's SCM group, which have been destroyed, damaged, or put on hold due to Russian military aggression, exceeded $20 billion. Among the hardest hit were the major assets of Metinvest. 

Additionally, the Heart of Azovstal project has recently launched a new initiative to provide housing for fighters who have become disabled while defending the city.

The overarching goal of the At Home program under the Heart of Azovstal is to create decent living conditions for the defenders of Mariupol as they transition back to civilian life and find new purpose. Each defender, regardless of gender, who has been assigned a disability group I or II due to injuries sustained in battle, will receive an apartment as their own. These homes will be specially adapted to meet the needs of people with disabilities.

Rinat Akhmetov, the project’s founder, emphasizes that the defenders of Mariupol have demonstrated true patriotism and love for their country. We must never forget those who sacrificed their health to protect Ukraine’s freedom and independence.Heart of Azovstal is part of Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, Steel Front, through which he and his enterprises support Ukraine’s defenders. Since the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion, Akhmetov has contributed over UAH 10 billion to aid military and civilian Ukrainians.

Thanks to this initiative, modular shelters designed to withstand artillery fire have been developed and are being mass-produced for frontline soldiers. More than 100 of these shelters have already been delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Additionally, the metallurgical group has started producing armor steel, meaning that one in ten bulletproof vests in Ukraine is made from Metinvest steel – about 170,000 in total.

More about other areas of assistance from the businessman

The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation has provided tens of thousands of blood containers, hundreds of thousands of medical units, and approximately half a million food packages, with a total of 800,000 food packages pledged for Ukrainians.

DTEK has restored power for around 7 million families, while Ukrtelecom is ensuring that Ukrainians have access to communication services. Currently, internet services are available in 87% of the settlements covered by the company’s network, with 60% of subscribers having energy-independent internet.

The foundation is also the founder of the "Voices of the Peaceful" museum, which serves as the largest archive of Ukrainian testimonies about the war with Russia, collecting over 60,000 personal stories.

The material is based on publication: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4691809-mariupol-future-ukraine-recovery/