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| - Ukraine's oligarchs and entrepreneurs have announced donations of vital medical equipment to hospitals as the post-Soviet state battles the coronavirus outbreak. Five cases of the COVID-19 infection have been officially confirmed in Ukraine as of Monday, with one of the patients dying. Viktor Pinchuk, one of the country's richest men, has along with his wife donated 10 artificial lung ventilation devices to hospitals in Kiev and other regions of Ukraine. The foundation of Rinat Akhmetov, the country's richest man and owner of Shakhtar Donetsk football club, has donated four such devices to the health ministry as well as hazmat suits, thermometers and face masks. The controversial metals tycoon lost control of dozens of coal mining and metallurgical companies as a result of the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine. Nine entrepreneurs have each paid for artificial lung ventilation devices to be bought second-hand in the United States, Oleg Gorokhovsky wrote on Facebook on Monday. He is the founder of Monobank, which operates only on mobile devices. The equipment sourced by Gorokhovsky's business partner and his wife each cost 248,000 hryvnia (about 8,350 euros), he said. "We raised the money in an hour! Unbelievable!" Gorokhovsky wrote, adding that the devices would arrive within three weeks. "I am filled with pride for our country and our business community." Nova Poshta, a private mail company, has contributed 25 million hryvnia to buy equipment for hospitals in the city of Poltava and the surrounding region. Volunteers are also raising money for protective equipment and rapid test systems for the armed forces. Some Ukrainians are also taking to social media to raise money. Volodymyr Flonts, head of the non-profit E-Democracy, on his birthday asked social media friends to make him the "best gift ever" and raise money for an artificial lung ventilation device. "It can save dozens of lives," he said, sharing bank details on Facebook. According to the health ministry, there are currently not enough artificial lung ventilation devices for every bed in the intensive care wards of Ukraine's infectious diseases facilities. The country's economy has been hit hard by the conflict with Russian-backed separatists in the east and is reliant on foreign aid. ant-osh/gd
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