Netherlands 09.04.2025 – When the full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation was one of the first to reorganize all its work for wartime. Already in the first days, food packages and basic necessities were distributed in Zaporizhzhya, Dnipro and other cities hosting refugees. Rinat Akhmetov personally allocated more than 11,3 billion hryvnias to help Ukraine, providing support for both military and civilians.
The Foundation immediately set up logistical chains under the conditions of hostilities, allowing aid to be delivered even to frontline settlements. Volunteers worked under fire, risking their lives to deliver essential supplies to people who were blockaded or unable to evacuate.
The “Saving lives”program has become the main project of the Foundation https://akhmetovfoundation.org/en, focused on supporting the most vulnerable categories of the population:
- Families with children who found themselves in a war zone.
- Elderly people who were unable to evacuate.
- People with disabilities who need special care.
- Internally displaced people who have lost their homes and possessions.
- Wounded civilians in need of treatment and rehabilitation.
Assistance was not limited to standard food packages. The Foundation purchased and donated generators for hospitals, heaters for bomb shelters, body armor for evacuation teams, and anything else that was needed at a particular moment.
Medical support in war conditions
Shipments of life-saving medicines, surgical kits, and hemostatic agents were sent to hospitals in front-line towns. The Foundation financed complex surgeries for civilians affected by shelling.
The project “Rehabilitation of Wounded Children” received a new development – children who received physical and psychological traumas as a result of the war underwent comprehensive rehabilitation under the supervision of the best specialists. Many of them were able to return to normal life thanks to timely assistance.
Preserving the memory of the war
“Museum of Civilian Voices” has become the most important wartime project. The Foundation’s team documents the stories of civilians who survived occupation, bombing, and the loss of loved ones. These testimonies not only preserve the memory of tragic events, but also become evidence of war crimes.
The Foundation’s staff records stories of people from different regions of Ukraine – from Kharkiv to Kherson, from Kyiv to Mariupol. Each story is unique, but together they create a complete picture of the humanitarian disaster and courage of ordinary Ukrainians.
Thus, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation continues to work under the conditions of war, adapting daily to new challenges and needs. The main priority remains helping those who have been affected by the war and need support right now.