Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group, as part of its support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is cooperating with the FAST charitable foundation, which trains Ukrainian military personnel in tactical medicine, by providing UAH 4 million for the development of this area.

According to the company's press release on Friday, first aid skills are an integral part of the modern training of military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They allow supporting the life of the wounded until qualified medical care is provided. In wartime, the number of defenders of Ukraine increased significantly, and the need for qualified medical training of the military also increased.

In Ukraine, tactical medicine is being developed by the FAST charitable foundation, founded at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. In particular, specialists conduct training for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other defense units. Thanks to the financial support of donors, trainings for the military are provided free of charge.

The FAST mission is supported by the Metinvest group. As part of the Rinat Akhmetov's Steel Front initiative, the company has already provided UAH 4 million for the development of tactical medicine. All funds go to the organization of training in the war zone. Financing, first of all, makes it possible to provide the material and technical base of training: high-quality materials for developing skills, logistics, and payment for the services of instructors.

Metinvest CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov said that within the framework of Rinat Akhmetov's Steel Front military initiative, the group is doing everything possible to ensure that as many defenders of Ukraine as possible return home.

"During the eight months of the full-scale war, the company sent more than UAH 1.4 billion to help the Ukrainian army. In addition to outfit, tactical equipment, vehicles and armored structures, we also send medical supplies to the front. In particular, we have already transferred more than 31,500 hemostatic tourniquets and first aid kits. But equipment and materials alone are not enough to save lives in combat conditions. It is important that the soldiers themselves have the necessary knowledge and skills. Therefore, we supported the PULSE initiative, which trains tactical medicine for our fighters. Qualified and timely medical care is critical to rescue injured with a combat injury," the press service quoted the top manager as saying.

From March to November 2022, more than 10,000 military personnel received basic tactical medical training from FAST instructors. In total, there are training needs for about one million people. Now, FAST instructors are simultaneously working in several directions, including in the rear of the group of troops defending the Donbas. Training in tactical medicine from PULSE was carried out by the soldiers of the 35th Separate Brigade of the Marine Corps. named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Ostrohradsky.

Oleh Palas, major of the medical service, stated that almost all of our doctors were involved in the training – these are combat medics of platoons, senior combat medics, medical instructors, paramedics and evacuation teams.

"Most of them have great experience that they gained during the ATO/JFO. But there were also those who only completed a two-week first aid course. For them, this course has become especially valuable. Usually, our medics in our unit are studying almost every day, but this training is being held for the second time. I hope that we will be able to organize simulation trainings more often, because they allow us to keep our doctors in constant combat readiness," the major said.

FAST trains representatives of almost all types of troops: Ground Forces, Air Force, Naval Forces, Medical Forces Command, Security Service of Ukraine, National Police, State Emergency Service, intelligence and special units. The goal of training from PULSE is not just to give basic skills for providing self-help and mutual assistance on the battlefield, but to make the Ukrainian military training system identical to the American one – according to the TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care) protocol.

Fedir Serdiuk, founder of the FAST charitable foundation, added that, in his opinion, one of the most dramatic things in the war that Russia unleashed is that the enemies are losing unmotivated soldiers with low morale, and Ukraine is losing strong, courageous patriots. He said that their duty and their strategic interest are to save the lives of these people.

According to him, the best percentage of survivors to the number of wounded in world history is with the American army in Iraq and Afghanistan. Only one of the 10 wounded died there. This happened thanks to the development of protection technologies, communications, logistics, but, above all, through the introduction of the TCCC medical system.

"This is the best result in the history of wars, and we should strive for such figures. To do this, FAST instructors are now training people in the fields, practicing practical skills, and consultants are supporting the development of tactical medicine in units, forces, services and divisions. It is important to win and save all the lives that we can save," Serdiuk said.

The essence of military training lies in the development of practical skills, because this is what makes it possible to provide assistance in difficult, dangerous and stressful conditions. For training, modern tourniquets, hemostatic and dressings, a variety of equipment to ensure airway patency, occlusive stickers and decompression needles, warming and anti-hypothermic equipment are used. A wide range of mannequins and simulation equipment is also used for training purposes. Part of the FAST strategy to support the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the development of tactical medicine is the preparation and coordination of instructor groups within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The press service recalled that Metinvest also organized first aid training for employees of its enterprises. More than 2,000 employees from Zaporizhia, Kamianske, Kryvy Rih and Pokrovsk have already completed trainings from FAST professional instructors.