Second NATO-Grade Underground Hospital by «Steel Front» Saves Lives on the Frontline
Rinat Akhmetov’s Metinvest Group has completed the construction of an upgraded underground NATO Role 2 hospital in one of the hottest sectors of the frontline. This is the second stabilization point established under the Steel Front initiative in cooperation with the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The new facility, funded by Metinvest with an investment of UAH 21 million, is more secure than the first one thanks to its deeper location underground (over 6 meters) and additional fortifications.
The hospital is situated closer to the line of contact, ensuring faster access to qualified medical care. It consists of four steel “shelter” modules manufactured by Metinvest, which include an operating block, a stabilization block, a workspace, and a rest area for medical personnel.
The total area covers 350 square meters. The facility is equipped with essential life-support systems: water supply, electricity, ventilation, sewage, and backup power. Medical equipment – including infusion pumps, X-ray machines, and defibrillators – has been provided at the army’s expense. The hospital can perform up to three surgeries simultaneously, with a team of 20 medics ensuring the treatment and stabilization of wounded soldiers.
“Based on recommendations and coordination with the Medical Forces, the hospital was designed under a new project that made it possible to optimize installation timelines and the arrangement of the underground facilities, while implementing additional camouflage measures for main and evacuation exits – which was crucial for the safety of medics and soldiers in the critical proximity to the frontline. Thanks to our expertise in constructing functional modular underground facilities, we managed to rationalize the space without losing its functionality and efficiency. The stabilization point is already operational and saving the lives of Ukrainian defenders – and that is the most important thing”, said Metinvest Group’s Chief Operating Officer, Oleksandr Myronenko.
The experience gained from the first underground hospital, which saved more than 6,000 lives over the past year, made it possible to improve the structure.
“The first underground hospital built by Metinvest proved to be highly effective: within a year, combat medics saved over 6,000 lives. But we are constantly searching for a universal stabilization point model that can be implemented anywhere along the frontline’s medical evacuation routes. Now we have realized an optimal concept with the second underground hospital, which can accommodate patients with injuries of varying severity. This is a a vital support for the Medical Forces of Ukraine, and we are grateful to Metinvest for its systemic partnership and the flexible solutions the company continues to implement”, said Lieutenant Colonel of the Medical Service, Roman Kuziv.
The first underground hospital, also constructed by Metinvest in cooperation with the Medical Forces, became operational in September 2024.
In my previous column, I wrote about social innovations in Ukraine. Those innovations are part of civic resilience and the democratization of security, which Europe is paying close attention to right now. The EU is trying to work out how to spread responsibility for its own security across society as a whole, rather than leaving it to institutions alone. It is looking for concrete ways to bring ordinary people into the work of defense and resistance.
Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court demanding that NABU be obligated to register proceedings regarding the fact of exerting influence on the court and to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in the case of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, due to her pressure on Supreme Court judges who were considering a lawsuit to overturn sanctions.
Internationally recognized brands and financial institutions should direct capital to Ukraine now, not waiting for the hostilities to end. This was emphasized by Rinat Akhmetov, president of FC Shakhtar, during a working visit to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where he met with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.
In recent days, Moscow’s official rhetoric has been dominated by hysteria over the decision of…
In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.