Interpipe provides individual support for each veteran

The company deliberately rejected standard approaches

The patronage service of the Ukrainian industrial company Interpipe provides individual support to every veteran returning to work after military service. This is reported in an article by UP. Life.

This approach helps everyone adapt and recover at their own pace.

«Some have been serving since 2014. Others were mobilized only in 2024, but the last year has been so difficult that they no longer remember themselves before the war. Therefore, if we want to help veterans truly adapt to civilian life, there cannot be a single scenario for everyone. Only painstaking, targeted work with each individual will yield results,» explained Lyudmila Novak, communications director and curator of Interpipe’s Patronage Service.

As noted, work with veterans begins on the first day of mobilization, thus building trust with the employer during service. This subsequently helps to obtain feedback on coordinators’ proposals aimed at adapting to civilian life.

The veterans’ families are actively involved in these processes. To this end, for example, regular weekend events with entertainment and therapeutic elements (hippotherapy, adaptive fishing, art therapy, sports activities) are held. This helps to create a comfortable environment where people find hobbies and make friends with those who have similar experiences.

The company’s patronage service appeared in 2014, after the start of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, when some of the employees were mobilized. At that time, it was not a structured unit, but an aid headquarters (purchasing ammunition, bulletproof vests, and delivering them to the front lines on its own).

Over time, the service evolved into a full cycle of support, adding legal support, medical and psychological assistance, and reintegration of veterans. Ultimately, this led to the opening of a support center for veterans and mobilized personnel at the corporate clinic.

The key principle remains targeted assistance and a conscious rejection of standard approaches. This means working not only with the personal needs of the soldier, but also with those of his unit. Through its mobilized employees, Interpipe actually supports hundreds of military units across the country — from generators and Starlink to technology, transport, and specialized equipment.

The patronage service is a full-fledged business unit of the company with full-time employees, a budget, and responsibilities. It currently works with about 1,500 wards. In total, the company has more than 200 veterans. In December, Interpipe’s Patronage Service was recognized as the best HR project in the country by the jury of the HR Brand 2025 Award.

Interpipe also systematically prepares the internal environment for the return of veterans through communication, training of managers, and training for line managers.

It should be noted that since the full-scale invasion, the adaptation of former military personnel to professional and civilian life has become an integral part of corporate culture, and iron and steel companies are at the forefront of this work.