prabhu
Almost two years ago, Rinat Akhmetov, one of Ukraine’s leading businessmen, opted to exit the media industry, relinquishing the licenses of TV channels, print media, and providers belonging to one of the country’s largest media groups. This move occurred just a few months after the onset of a full-scale war. Since then, the market has seen the emergence of new media projects on various platforms, some founded by former employees or based on content from Akhmetov’s group.
A partial list of the channels previously under the holding includes:
- Ukraine, a national terrestrial TV channel;
- UFO TV, an entertainment channel aimed at youth;
- Indigo TV, a thematic channel;
- Football 1/2/3, thematic sports channels available in HD;
- Ukraine 24, a national news channel;
- Channel 34, a regional TV channel.
The businessman explained that his decision was prompted by a 2021 law aimed at diminishing national security threats posed by individuals with significant economic and political influence in public life, although he asserts that he does not pose such a threat. Further details can be found here: https://www.euractiv.com/section/europe-s-east/news/ukraines-richest-man-agrees-to-hand-over-media-empire/.
More than $1.5 billion has been invested in the media holding. However, Akhmetov emphasizes that the most valuable contribution comes from the hard work of the 4,000 journalists and media team employees. Their efforts have made some channels leaders in Ukraine in terms of viewership, while the sports channels have attracted millions of fans.
Supporting Ukraine during the war
Rinat Akhmetov has announced that next year, he and all SCM businesses will intensify their efforts to support the Defense Forces and Ukrainian civilians. To date, his contributions have amounted to approximately 9 billion hryvnias ($258 million) since the onset of the full-scale invasion.
The Steel Front initiative, a militarized effort, began producing unique mockups of military equipment some time ago to deceive the enemy. To date, over 250 mockups have been delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The initiative has also developed lightweight body armor using its own armored steel, with more than 150,000 units produced.
Additionally, the initiative has developed specialized shelters for observation positions. These compact “hiding spots,” measuring 2×3 meters, are currently being used in the Donetsk direction. Equipped with two cellars, a table, and a comfortable workspace, these shelters allow military personnel to operate safely during artillery shelling.
