UN Honors Ukraine’s First Frontline Underground Hospital for Life-Saving Innovation

Metinvest Group has won the UN Global Compact’s Partnership for Sustainability Award 2025 for creating Ukraine’s first steel underground frontline hospital. 

The Gaze reports on it, referring to the official website of the company.

Metinvest was awarded in the “Ukraine Recovery” category, which recognizes projects aimed at supporting defense and humanitarian initiatives, rebuilding the country, and promoting peace. 

The competition received 150 applications from 22 countries, and finalists were evaluated by an independent international jury, including experts from Harvard University, the London School of Economics, and other leading institutions.

The underground hospital, created in coordination with the “East” Medical Forces, is located six meters underground and equipped with modern communications, security systems, medical equipment, and a laboratory. It meets NATO Role/Echelon 2 field hospital standards and can treat up to 100 wounded per day, performing a wide range of urgent surgical procedures without transporting patients to remote hospitals.

Thanks to the hospital, around four thousand Ukrainian soldiers’ lives have already been saved, including cases of direct artillery and aerial strikes near the frontline. Its location close to the front and its concealment allow for rapid and safe medical assistance.

"Recently, one of these units was directly hit by three aerial bombs. Thanks to the hospital, it was possible to save people. Thank God, the entire unit survived,“ said Roman Kuziv, commander of the Medical Forces ”East" group.

Metinvest’s Chief Operating Officer Oleksandr Myronenko emphasized that Ukraine’s engineering innovation in underground hospitals has proven effective and attracted the attention of leading armies worldwide.

"When it comes to saving the lives of defenders, every minute counts. That is why the location of stabilization points near the front line and their concealment from the enemy allow medics to work safely and provide timely assistance. This Ukrainian engineering invention has already proven its effectiveness and attracted the interest of one of the world's leading armies," he said. 

Metinvest is an international vertically integrated mining and metallurgical group with mining and metallurgical enterprises in Ukraine, Europe, and the USA, as well as a sales network in all major regions worldwide. 

The “golden hour” of medical aid, once critical for saving wounded soldiers’ lives, is increasingly at risk in Ukraine due to the constant threat of Russian drone attacks. Evacuation teams and frontline medical stations are now prime targets, forcing soldiers to wait in trenches or bunkers under life-threatening conditions, often resulting in severe complications or death. 

In this context, underground and fortified medical facilities, like Metinvest’s steel frontline hospital, have become indispensable. These protected hospitals allow medics to provide urgent care safely and efficiently near the frontlines, saving lives despite the extreme dangers posed by drones and modern warfare technologies.

As The Gaze reported earlier, Ukraine and its international partners have officially launched the Shelters Coalition, a joint initiative aimed at accelerating the construction of modern civil protection shelters across the country.