Yevhen Sazhniev from Zaporizhstal defended Ukraine on the front for more than 2 years, and now he has returned to work.
Yevhen Sazhniev, a casting operator of the steelmaking shop of Zaporizhstal, has been working at the plant for about 25 years. However, in 2022, his usual intense shifts at the furnaces were replaced by equally intense duties on the front lines.
"In 2022, I was mobilized to the front. Of course, it was a difficult period of my life – daily risk, constant explosions. You always feel unsafe. But despite everything, you have to complete combat missions – and you do your job as best you can. The price of a mistake is too high – after all, we are talking about the lives of brothers- and sisters-in-arms. Serving on the front is a radically different life, because everything you are used to changes," the veteran recalls.
Yevhen served as a sapper in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and in Donbas. He worked with his comrades, laying minefields, which helped strengthen the defense to prevent the enemy from advancing. Often the tasks were completely opposite – he demined territories for the advancement of the Ukrainian Defence Forces and the protection of the lives of civilians in the de-occupied territories.
A couple of months after the de-occupation of the Kherson region, we were involved in searching for explosive objects such as mines and unexploded ordnance. This is not an easy task; you need to be familiar with various mining methods for the area. At the same time, you need to consider various factors such as the time of year, weather conditions, terrain, and so on. "And, of course, you need to have attentiveness and endurance," adds the worker of Zaporizhstal.
They worked mostly at dawn, says Yevhen, to be invisible, like ghosts. Speed of action has always been important. In general, one mission lasted no longer than 15-20 minutes, during which time they managed to lay about 50-100 anti-tank mines.
By the way, during that time, Yevhen's home plant didn't leave him without support; they provided him with protective gear.
Today, Yevhen is back at home, returning to the work to which he devoted a quarter of a century. The steel worker is convinced: It was thanks to his work at the plant and the support of his colleagues that he was able to quickly return to civilian life.
For everyone who has been to the front line, when returning to civilian life, the support of the people around you is important. At the plant, my dear team and job were waiting for me – of course. This was important and helped me. Overall, after returning from service, the toughest part is the emotional adjustment. At this moment, we need support and understanding," says Yevhen SAZHNIЕV.
Currently, there are more than 9,000 Metinvest employees in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with about 500 veterans returning to work after their service. Among them there are many Zaporizhstal employees.
For veterans returning to Zaporizhstal after serving on the front line, the social circle becomes a lifesaver, helping them adapt to civilian life. The home plant does not stand aside either. Here, as at any Metinvest enterprise, there are programs for physical and mental rehabilitation, consulting support for veterans, and efforts to create cohesive veteran communities.
In particular, at the initiative of Metinvest, a project to support the defenders of Ukraine "Communicate." Veteran". It is designed to create a platform for dialogue between war veterans and experts in various fields.
