Metinvest Group continues to fully support its employees who suffered during the war. Recently, Metinvest employees, who lost their homes and whose homes were severely damaged by enemy shelling and are raising two or more minor children, received a new help as part of the Saving Lives humanitarian project.
Employees of Metinvest enterprises in Italy, the UK and the USA raised funds and sent it to the Do it Together Foundation to help their Ukrainian colleagues. In particular, employees of Metinvest Trametal and Ferriera Valsider raised funds for their Ukrainian colleagues by organising a charity event on sweatshirts sell.
Andrea De Marzi, Ferriera Valsider
"I made the donation to be as close as possible to the Ukrainians in the dramatic and difficult situation they are in. Knowing that my Ukrainian colleagues, who lost their homes during the war, are in need of basic necessities, it was important for me to contribute to the help provided by Metinvest."
Massimo Fabris, Metinvest Trametal
"I joined the fundraising in solidarity with our Ukrainian colleagues. We are one team, where everyone is ready to lend a shoulder to each other in difficult times."
Luca Tecchio, Ferriera Valsider
"By participating in this initiative and helping our Ukrainian colleagues, I felt like a part of a big and united Metinvest team."
Anna Visentin, Ferriera Valsider
"I am very proud to have joined this initiative and feel even more like a part of Metinvest friendly family. Homes of many of our Ukrainian colleagues have been damaged, and many of them have lost their homes altogether, so I hope that our donations will help them solve their urgent domestic problems."
Andrea Pillin, Metinvest Trametal
“I joined the initiative to be with our Ukrainian colleagues in this difficult time. We are thousands of kilometres apart, but I cannot stay away from the disaster faced by Metinvest employees in the cities that are under constant shelling."
Giovanni Arabia, Ferriera Valsider
"I was very enthusiastic to support the fundraising initiative to help my Ukrainian colleagues, who suffered during the war. Their stories are impressive. I really want peace to prevail in Ukraine as soon as possible so that Ukrainians can live, work and fulfil all their dreams again."
Kim Mckie, Spartan UK
"All of us at Spartan UK have been shocked by this war and the horrors it has caused. It is hard for us to comprehend its consequences for Ukrainians: the loss of homes, loved ones, and the destruction of entire cities. I believe that we must do everything we can to support Ukraine and to help as many people as possible. That is why we have tried to involve in the fundraising not only Spartan UK employees, but also our customers, suppliers and their friends. We know that every £ collected will contribute supporting our Ukrainian friends and will help Ukrainian colleagues in this extremely difficult time."
Employees of Metinvest enterprises in Italy, the UK and the USA were inspired to join the humanitarian initiative by the stories of Metinvest employees who were forced to leave for safe regions of Ukraine from cities, where hostilities were taking place, stories of those who lost their homes, were wounded or had their limbs amputated. For the donations, Metinvest Group purchased certificates in denomination of UAH 2,000 and handed them over to 84 families of employees who confirmed that their homes were damaged or lost during the war. Each family received four such certificates for home improvement totalling UAH 8,000. The company spent over EUR 16 thousand to purchase the certificates.
Viktor LEMEKH, electrical fitter of the mine named after Kolachevskyi of PJSC "CENTRAL GOK"
“My family and I consider December 16 to be our second birthday. At nine in the morning, there was a terrible explosion that destroyed half of our apartment and the roof. In the first seconds, my wife and I heard the voice of our eldest daughter coming from the destroyed corridor. She was crying and screaming: "Mum, Dad, I love you." Panic was replaced by joy that the child was alive. And the hope that we could pull her out on our own. Fortunately, it happened, and together we managed to get out. Outside, we saw that the entire entrance of our house was destroyed. The incident turned our lives upside down, but we were not left to face the disaster alone. Metinvest and the enterprise management helped us: they provided us with shelter and financial assistance. My colleagues in the shop are extremely sympathetic and friendly people who have been supporting our family all this time. My girls received a powerful help in psychological rehabilitation as a part of the Unbreakable Mom project implemented by Metinvest and its partners. I was also touched by the support of colleagues from Metinvest enterprises in Europe and the USA through the Do it together foundation. Their help really proves that we are a big family, and there is no outstander's pain for them. I am extremely grateful to them.”
Yaroslav FEDIUKOV, Assistant Shop Chief for Continuous Improvement of Rolling Equipment Repair Shop of Metinvest PromService
“On March 22 Zaporizhzhia was shelled, and a Russian missile hit a neighbouring building. The blast wave hit our apartment building, and our apartment was heavily damaged. The front part of the apartment was heavily damaged - windows, frames, and slopes were destroyed. To restore the apartment, we need to carry out finishing work, restore the bathroom, fix cracks, and restore the plaster in the rooms. Some of the furniture was also damaged. So the certificates we received will help us to carry out repair work in the apartment. "I would like to express my gratitude to my colleagues who work at Metinvest European and American enterprises. Your support is very important and timely.”
Natalia LYTVYNCHUK, hoisting machine operator of mine named after Kolachevskyi of PJSC "CENTRAL GOK"
“I am raising two daughters alone. On December 16, as a result of a Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih, we almost lost everything. It was extremely scary when the walls of our apartment instantly shook and glass flew out of the windows at us. We were terrified and tried to protect ourselves, covering ourselves with whatever we could. I will never forget that terrible morning. We survived, thank God, but the apartment remained with no windows. But caring people came to our aid. It makes me feel good to know, that there is support and there are people, who are ready to help. The humanitarian initiative of Metinvest employees from Italy, the UK and the USA is a clear prove of that. I am grateful to everyone who contributed to the initiative. We will definitely use the certificates to buy something we need, and most importantly, something to keep it as a memento of the good deeds.”
Yuliia TSIAPA, (spouse - Dmytro Tsiapa, equipment repair foreman at Kamet Steel BOF Shop)
“My husband, children and I moved to Kamianske from the New York village in Donetsk region. We worked at PJSC "AVDIIVKA COKE". When the war broke out, the enemy shelling did not stop, so we had to leave our home. Our apartment was damaged by bombing. It's good that Metinvest did not leave us alone in our time of need. Thanks to the company's support, today I live with my children in a city with a peaceful sky and have a work by my profession. My husband got a job at Kamet Steel as an equipment repair foreman in the BOF Shop, and now he serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We are very grateful to our colleagues in Europe and the USA who took care of us and raised funds to help us.”
Tetiana STADNYK, fitter-repairman of Metinvest-Promservice coke oven equipment repair shop
“In Avdiivka, I lived with my family in my own apartment in an apartment building. When the war broke out, we were forced to live in the basement with our children, hiding from shelling. A month later, we decided to leave the city and settle down in Zaporizhzhia. After we left, our house was directly hit for three times. The apartment is ruined. But we are not giving up. It is a great pleasure to know that the friendly Metinvest team will not leave us alone in our misfortune, that our colleagues from Italy, the UK and the US are aware of the grief and misery Ukrainians are going through and are ready to help. Thanks to the certificates I received, I plan to purchase bed linen and tableware as a priority.”
Anton BABETS, charge feeder at JV "Zaporizhstal" Blast Furnace Shop
“On October 9, 2022, I woke up at night to the sound of explosions. As soon as I managed to grab my son and hide with my family in the corridor, another "shelling" smashed window glass and frames, damaged the refrigerator and furniture. For a week after that, I lived in a shelter while the house was being made habitable. My wife with my children left Ukraine in those days. Presently I continue to live at home, I installed windows at my own expense, and am waiting for my family to return. I have two young sons, so thanks to these certificates I will be able to buy a bunk bed for them - it will be a surprise for them when they return. Any support is very valuable now. For example, I received humanitarian aid from the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation and Metinvest. I gave it to an elderly neighbour because I also want to help those I can. I appreciate that my colleagues from Metinvest's enterprises in Europe and the United States donated this assistance, and I am very grateful to them. It is not only about money, but also about attention and support, which gives strength in difficult times.”
Oleksiy CHERNIKOV, repairman at PJSC "Zaporizhzhia Coke Plant" Coke Shop
“I moved from Avdiivka to Zaporizhzhia in 2017. My mother stayed there, she did not want to leave her home. Since 2014, Avdiivka had been subject to periodic shellings, including in the yard of our house, but there was no serious damage. But in March 2022, after a full-scale Russian invasion, a missile hit our house. Fortunately, my mother was at work that night, and that saved her: The enemy shell hit her room, destroying half of the house and the roof. We immediately took my mother to our place in Zaporizhzhia. Presently we don't know what condition our house is in, maybe it no longer exists. According to my information, there were many shellings in our neighbourhood. After the victory, we dream of returning home. Although Zaporizhzhia has also become my hometown, I had grown up in Avdiivka, and that's where I live. We will use the certificates to buy a refrigerator. Such support from our colleagues is important to us. Thank you very much!”
Sergiy STEPETSKY, Head of Technical Department at PJSC "Kamet Steel" BOF Shop
“Unfortunately, we had to leave everything we had gained in our native Avdiivka. A shell hit the neighbouring apartment. Windows and furniture were smashed, and even the front door of our house was blown out by the blast wave. It was a good thing that I had evacuated my pregnant wife and our two children from the city before that. Here, in Kamianske, a new life began: we had another child, I got a job at Kamet Steel. We rent housing, so the certificates purchased by Metinvest at the expenses of colleagues from Italy, the UK and the US are a very important help to our family in difficult times. We are planning to buy materials for cosmetic repairs in the rented apartment. We thank everyone who joined the charity initiative and supported us!”
Dmytro Dyatlov, Head of Social Infrastructure Management Area at "Metinvest Business Service", LLC
"The war first forced our family to leave our home in Donetsk in 2014. That's why we met February 24, 2022, prepared with an emergency bag and immediately left suburb Kyiv for western Ukraine. Later, we saw a video on the Internet taken from a drone showing our neighbourhood where we lived - all the upper floors of the houses were burnt out. That's how we realized that nothing was left of our apartment. The second time around, we survived the loss of our home more easily. I only regret not taking the hard drive with the children's photos and videos, they are priceless, and we will buy all the other things over time. I am very grateful to my colleagues from Europe and the United States for their help! We won't be able to use the money to rebuild our house near Kyiv, so we'll use it to improve our everyday life - my wife has long wanted us to have our own dishes in our current home.”
Anastasia MARIENKO, controller of ferrous metals production at PJSC "Kamet Steel" Product Quality Department
“We have been in Kamianske for a year now. We left Avdiivka with my mother to save my life and the lives of my two minor children. We had been familiar with military unrest since 2014, but we had never seen such continuous shelling before. The apartment was heavily damaged. In general, there were a lot of shellings in this neighbourhood; the first entrance of our house almost does not exist anymore. I had worked at Avdiivka Coke Plant for 15 years as a coke quality controller. And I am very grateful to Metinvest for immediately offering me a job in my specialty and helping me both morally and financially to settle in the new place. And my husband still works in security at Avdiivka Coke Plant. He is among those who ensure the evacuation of people and inventory from the enterprise. And although the connection with Avdiivka is very weak now, we get news from him from time to time.
We are now living in a certain peace, but our most cherished hope is that we will eventually return home. I am eager to come back to my plant and I dream of that it will be rebuilt. I am sincerely grateful to my colleagues from Metinvest's enterprises in Italy, the UK and the US who raised funds to help us. We really have a big production family where people take care of each other!”
Rostislav Ostroglazov, leading engineer of Quality Control Department at PJSC "Northern GOK"
“My apartment was damaged by a blast wave caused by a missile strike that took place on December 16 last year. The enemy missile hit a neighbouring three-storey building located just fifty meters from mine. People were killed there, and the rescue operation lasted for several days, dismantling the rubble. All the windows in my apartment were smashed. Compared to the destroyed house, of course, the windows were nothing. But that winter was in full swing, so we covered the window openings with temporary materials. The news of certificates for UAH 8 thousand for goods was very unexpected for me. When I found out that these were donations from Metinvest employees from enterprises located in other countries, I was pleasantly surprised. I will finally be able to install new windows at home, and my family will be back in the cozy apartment. I am very grateful to our foreign colleagues! Their support is a good example of how war unites people and brings countries closer together. Metinvest's team is a real big family.”
As a reminder, from the very beginning of Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, Metinvest Group launched the Saving Lives humanitarian project. It provides for large-scale, continuous assistance to Ukrainians with food and basic necessities, as well as support for hospitals in the form of supplies of essential medicines and equipment. Together with the Prosthetics Support Project in Ukraine, Saving Lives returns to full life military and civilians who have suffered amputations. The project also helps mothers and their children who have suffered psychological trauma to recover.
To finance the initiatives of the Saving Lives humanitarian project, the Do It Together Foundation was created. Donors and partners from different countries are involved in its work. Over the year of Saving Lives' work, our joint efforts have raised €8.43 million to help Ukrainians, of which more than €2.4 million was donated by donors. The project has already helped more than 500 thousand Ukrainians. Employees of Metinvest Group's enterprises in the countries where the company operates also provide financial assistance to Ukrainians through the Do it together Foundation
In addition, employees of Metinvest Group's enterprises in Bulgaria, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States have been implementing humanitarian initiatives to support displaced Ukrainians since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. In particular, they set up children's clubs, organize tours, travels, holidays for children, etc.
August 05, 2024