Rinat Akhmetov to Help Mariupol ‘Survive and Withstand’ Russian Aggression

It’s been well over a month since tensions between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s billionaires reached a flashpoint after the President criticized the country’s top earning businessmen for seemingly fleeing the country ahead of the then-imminent Russian invasion.

While President Zelenskyy did not directly name anyone, he slammed a collection of unidentified business leaders who left the country after the U.S. warned of an assault from Russia.

Rinat Akhmetov returns to Ukraine

After Zelenskyy’s comments, which were made during an official televised address to the Ukrainian people, Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man, immediately returned to Ukraine aboard his private jet. A picture of Akhmetov, posted by his spokesperson, depicts him and a group of others in the Azov Sea port of Mariupol.

As Mariupol’s residents took to the streets in protest of Russian aggression, Rinat Akhmetov doubled down and reaffirmed his loyalty to Ukraine. Akhmetov visited his Metinvest facility that is based in the city and announced that he would continue to make investments into the Metinvest business and the wider country, regardless of the “dreadful scenarios” that might come.

“Today, the entire world worries about us,” he told Metinvest workers during his visit to the Mariupol facility, thanking them for their unwavering loyalty amid “uneasy, dangerous, and anxious times”, and promised new investments. “In wartime, our company operates accordingly. Now our utmost goal is to help Ukrainians survive and withstand,” Akhmetov said in a recent interview.

Rinat Akhmetov’s support comes as little surprise

The promise of unwavering support from Rinat Akhmetov is something that is rather typical when it comes to helping the people of Ukraine.

Akhmetov, the son of a coal miner, has a long history of philanthropy in his home country. With the money he has made through his assets, he has provided huge amounts of financial and non-financial aid to Ukrainian citizens, particularly in the areas of Donetsk and Donbas which were hit hard during Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Several of Akhmetov’s assets—including real estate, gas stations, and the home stadium of his football team, Shakhtar Donetsk—were lost during Russia’s 2014 invasion and became worthless overnight when the city fell. To say that Akhmetov knows what’s at stake, then, would be an understatement.

This time around, Akhmetov was fully prepared for the worst possible outcome. “I have already instructed my foundation to help with evacuation, medicines, and everything necessary if needed. We will do everything to prevent a humanitarian disaster,” he said just two days prior to Russia’s invasion.

Germany changes its historic stance on military aid

It’s not just Rinat Akhmetov who is helping to support the Ukrainian war effort, though. In response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, European nations and others around the world have become united in their support of the former Soviet state.

Perhaps most notably is Germany’s response, which has a historic policy of never sending weapons to conflict zones. Germany sent Ukraine weapons from its own stockpile, which is understood to have included 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger anti-aircraft defense systems. This is a huge U-turn that illustrates the extent to which European leaders condemn Russia’s aggressive and inexcusable actions against Ukraine.

In a speech on Sunday, February 27, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also announced a dramatic increase in defense spending and his support for severe sanctions against Russia, which is Germany’s main provider of gas and coal.

These announcements were a sudden change in course, coming after Berlin clung to its initial position of inaction for weeks despite the growing Russian threat and pressure from EU and NATO allies.

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine marks a turning point,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in his statement. “It threatens our entire post-war order. In this situation, it is our duty to do our utmost to support Ukraine in defending itself against Vladimir Putin’s invading army. Germany stands closely by Ukraine’s side.”

Support for Mariupol matters now more than ever

Recent events in Mariupol have shown that Rinat Akhmetov’s fears were not without merit. Fierce fighting has been going on in the port city for several weeks now, and most of the city has now been destroyed and reduced to rubble.

Thousands of people have died in the city since it became the target of a horrific Russian offensive. While evacuation attempts have taken place and hundreds of thousands of people have left, it is estimated that there are still well over 100,000 innocent civilians left trapped in the area. Russia’s indiscriminate siege on Mariupol has targeted everything from maternity hospitals to foreign journalists.

"My heart bleeds from what is happening now in Mariupol: from the fact that Mariupol residents are hiding from shelling in the shops of our factories; from the fact that our power engineers are doing everything possible and impossible to make it light and warm.”

The billionaire’s charitable cause, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, has since stepped in to help the people of Mariupol. “My Foundation is helping Ukrainians survive by providing water, food, medicines, and any help we can give here and now. SCM businesses are helping the army and territorial defense forces to defend our sovereignty, our freedom, and independence, and win the war."

Despite the goings-on in Mariupol right now and the financial setbacks that the billionaire has faced since Russia began its invasion, Akhmetov has promised that his workers will still be receiving salaries and that Metinvest’s work will continue to support the war effort. “Today, all our businesses focus all their efforts on helping people,” Akhmetov said in a recent interview with Forbes.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes