Azovstal. It’s a name that’s become synonymous with the war in Ukraine following the siege of Mariupol earlier this year when Ukrainian forces used the iron and steelworks’ network of underground tunnels and bunkers as the final line of defense before Russian occupiers captured the port city in mid-May.
Now, Rinat Akhmetov’s Metinvest Group, the owner and operator of Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, has launched a new project in collaboration with President Volodymyr Zelensky’s United24 fundraising platform: Azovstal: A Symbol of Perseverance. Appropriately, Akhmetov and Metinvest will use pre-war steel manufactured in the facility to make bracelets that will be sold to fund the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s (AFU) Army of Drones project.
“During 89 years of the plant’s history, thousands of Mariupol residents and steelmakers have shown excellence in their work, so Azovstal’s steel was known all over the world,” said Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest Group.
“This year, the name of the plant was on the front pages — not because of its steel, but because of its people. The people of steel. The soldiers and paramedics who held back the aggressor’s attack and defended Ukrainian Mariupol within the walls of the Azovstal stronghold. They became an example for all of us. Therefore, these bracelets are not just small bars of steel, but a symbol of respect and faith in the defenders of Ukraine. Our warriors themselves are like steel and even stronger than steel. I feel inspired that the last pre-war batch of steel from Azovstal will help the AFU.”
5 Grams of Steel With an Enduring Message of Fortitude
Rinat Akhmetov’s latest effort has been launched to raise funds that will be used to support Ukraine during the ongoing war. The first step of the project will see the release of the bracelets.
Each bracelet contains 5 grams of steel produced on rolling mill 3600 at the Azovstal plant. The bracelet’s design was developed by the Sova jewelry house and features an engraved coat of arms of Ukraine.
“For the Sova jewelry brand, working on the Azovstal bracelet was a great honor,” said Liudmyla Sova. “Strong not only in material, but in the very idea and symbolism that it carries. We immediately supported the project and undertook the implementation of the design and batch of bracelets at our own expense. In a short period of time, we managed to turn a powerful idea into a jewelry product worthy of becoming a symbol of indomitability for the entire Ukrainian people.”
