
Focus on psychological adaptation, education, retraining, and return to peaceful life
Metinvest Group, which has faced the mobilization of one in five employees since the start of the full-scale invasion, plans to allocate $550,000 to support and adaptation programs for veterans in 2025. This was announced to Forbes by Tetyana Petruk, the company’s director of sustainable development and personnel relations.
As of June, 959 veterans have already returned to work, and Metinvest is preparing for the return of even more employees.
“The company has about 4,000 vacant positions. If at least half of the military personnel return, it will significantly strengthen our operations,” Petruk said.
The company has built a support system since the mobilization: assistance to families, provision of everything necessary, and after demobilization – rehabilitation, psychological assistance, retraining, requalification, educational opportunities, including at its own university, Metinvest Polytechnic.
In 2024, $250,000 was allocated to programs for veterans. In 2025, the main expenses are planned to be directed toward educational initiatives, psychological assistance, and recreation for the children of military personnel. In addition, veterans receive extended health insurance for one year after their return, and their families are provided with financial support and participation in rehabilitation camps.
The companies are creating veteran hubs, training staff on how to communicate with veterans, and providing psychological support from military psychologists with whom the company works on an ongoing basis. Not only veterans themselves undergo preparation for their return, but also teams, in order to avoid stigmatization and prevent conflicts.
“We do not divide teams into veterans and non-veterans. The approach is the same: treat everyone with respect, see the person as an employee, not their status,” Petruk emphasizes.
It should be noted that over more than three years of full-scale war, Metinvest Group has allocated UAH 9.28 billion to support Ukraine. Of this amount, UAH 4.9 billion has been allocated to the army as part of the Steel Front initiative. The company remains Ukraine’s largest exporter and continues to invest in modernization, energy independence, and employee safety.