The company plans to build around 90 more points of this type
Metinvest Group has already built more than 35 steel platoon bastions for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and plans to produce another 90. This was announced by the company's director of operations, Olexander Myronenko, in an interview with Pryamyi Channel.
The Group has joined the fortification program that is underway in practically all areas of the front line – the second and third lines of defense with platoon strongholds are being actively built.
As Myronenko explained, these points are equipped as standard with the company's shelters, more than 330 of which Metinvest has already delivered to the army.
«And the question arose that we also needed to build command posts to ensure continuous command and control of troops near the line of contact. After that, we had a very significant discussion with the military, with the command of certain areas. And we developed a command post project consisting of 5 to 6 hideouts. Take into account the conditions of use of these points, because people are there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, throughout the year», he said.
The points are equipped with internet, telephone and all other means used by the military.
“In addition, there should be places where online operators monitor what is happening on the contact line. There are people monitoring video from reconnaissance drones flying along the front line. There are people who monitor how the enemy's positions and our positions are changing, what kind of fighting is happening on the line of contact. All this is done through large televisions and computer equipment, which we also supply», said Oleksandr Myronenko.
To ensure the safety of soldiers, the bunkers are located underground, are electrified and equipped with stationary heating, a modern ventilation system and conditions for comfortable living. They are mainly installed at night. Secret delivery, site preparation and installation require significant security measures, which the company takes in conjunction with the military.
In terms of production, it takes 4 to 5 weeks to prepare 5 to 6 “shelters”, including steel production, structural assembly and interior arrangement so that the finished structure can be loaded, delivered, unloaded and buried. The company informs the military when everything is ready and they prepare the infrastructure for that date.
Currently, another 5 to 6 stations are in the process of being assembled and will be distributed to frontline areas and brigades. There are discussions about the next stages of production – up to 30 command posts to be installed in one of the areas.
According to Metinvest's Operations Director, the company takes the safety of this production very seriously. This is why all locations where products are manufactured, including mine trawls, command posts and caches, are located outside the group's facilities.
«We are concerned about the safety of the people who work in these facilities. In total, about 400-500 Metinvest employees are constantly involved in the production of defense products,” said Myronenko.
Currently, the Group's main areas of activity are demining (mine trawls) and the provision of shelters and fortifications and their modification. They are currently discussing the production of “hideouts” for drone operators and developing another area related to medical stabilization centers.
As we previously reported, since the start of the full-scale war, Metinvest has allocated 4.8 billion UAH to support Ukraine and Ukrainians. Of this amount, more than 2.5 billion UAH was spent on aid to soldiers as part of the Steel Front military initiative.
