Rinat Akhmetov saw him business empire destroyed in eight years of fight in east of Ukraine, but remains bold, sure what he calls “our brave soldiers”will protect the sea of Azov city reduced in the wilderness for seven weeks of bombardment.
However, for now, his company Metinvest, the largest steel producer in Ukraine, announced he cannot fulfill his supply contracts, and although his financial and industrial SCM Group serves its debt obligations, his private power manufacturer DTEK optimized payment of his debts” in Agreement with creditors.
Mariupol is global tragedy and global example of heroism. For me, Mariupol was and always will be Ukrainian. cityAkhmetov said. in written responses to questions from Reuters.
“I believe that our brave soldiers will protect the city although I understand how difficult and hard This for them,” he said, adding that in daily contact with Metinvest managers who run plants “Azovstal” and “Metallurgical plant named after. Ilyich. in Mariupol.
On Friday, Metinvest said it would never operate under Russian occupation and that the siege of Mariupol disabled more than a third of Production capacities of metallurgy of Ukraine.
Akhmetov praised President Volodymyr Zelensky for “passion and professionalism” during the war, seemingly smoothing over relations after the Ukrainian leader last year said the conspirators, hoping to overthrow him government tried to attract a businessman.
Akhmetov then called this accusation “an absolute lie.”
“And war, of course, is not the time to quarrel… We will rebuild all of Ukraine,” he said, adding that he had returned to the country on Feb 23rd and been there ever since.
“Marshall Plan” for Ukraine’
Akhmetov did not say exactly where he was, but what he was in Mariupol on February 16, the day some Western intelligence agencies expected invasion to begin. “I told people in streets, I met with workers…” he said.
“My goal is to return to Ukrainian Mariupol and realize our (new production) plans so that Mariupol steel could compete in global markets as before.
Russia invaded on February 24, when President Vladimir Putin announced a “special operations” to demilitarize and “denazify” the country. Kyiv and its Western allies dismiss this as false pretext for unprovoked attack.
Akhmetov, long the richest man in Ukraine, saw his business the empire has been shrinking since 2014 when Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and two eastern Ukrainian regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – declared independence from Kyiv.
According to Forbes magazine, Akhmetov net worth in reached $15.4 billion in 2013. This currently is $3.9 billion.
“For us the war broke out out in 2014. We lost everything of our assets both in Crimea and in temporarily occupied territory of Donbass. We have lost our business, but this made us tougher and stronger,” he said.
“I am sure that as the largest in the country private business SCM will play a key role in in post- military reconstruction of Ukraine,” he said, citing officials saying the damage from the war had reached $1 trillion.
“We will definitely need unprecedented international reconstruction programMarshall plan for Ukraine,” he said. in US help link project That helped rebuild Western Europe after World War II.
“I believe that we will all rebuild free, European, democratic and successful Ukraine after our victory in this war.”
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