Heroes Among Us 10/31/2024 Read 4 min

“We stopped the first convoys of the invaders,” says Denys Ilin, veteran of Ingulets GOK

At the age of 26, Denys Ilin, a war veteran from Metinvest's Ingulets GOK, has already had a harsh combat experience, a serious injury and almost two years of service in a military medical unit.

In the summer of 2024, after the demobilization, Denys Ilin returned to work at Ingulets GOK and managed to get into Technical University "Metinvest Polytechnic". We continue to introduce you to Metinvest's heroes and their incredible stories.

In the early summer of 2024, the Ilin family welcomed their eldest son, Denys, home. According to the conclusions of the medical commission, the soldier was demobilised from the service he had been performing since the first days of the Russia-Ukraine war. Without hesitation, the young veteran returned to the enterprise where his parents and he had worked until he was needed at the front.

On 24 February 2022, I was supposed to go on a night shift at the ore beneficiation plant No.2 (RZF-2), where I worked as a pump operator, but the terrible news changed my plans then and probably my whole life Since I still had fresh experience of compulsory military service, the military recruitment office immediately sent me to the 60th Separate Rifle Brigade as a sniper. I went to serve to prevent the enemy from coming to my home,” recalls Denys ILIN.

About bravery and a spirit that is stronger than the body

Their company, which consisted mostly of volunteers at the time, was deployed to the hot Kherson sector. It was these fighters, armed only with small arms, grenade launchers and heavy machine guns, who resisted the Russian invasion. Then the enemy sent columns of tanks, armoured infantry fighting vehicles, light multi-purpose armored towing vehicles, artillery and the Pskov landing force, a Russian division with the maximum number of contract soldiers, from Crimea through Kherson region towards Kryvyi Rih. Despite the unequal strength, our soldiers managed to stop the enemy on the outskirts of Kryvyi Rih from the Ingulets residential area. On 1 April, it became known that the brigade where Denys served had liberated 11 villages in the Kherson region. On 24 August 2022, the 60th Separate Brigade was awarded the honorary name "Ingulets" for courage and valour.

While holding back the occupation forces near the Orlove village in Beryslav district of Kherson region, Denys Ilin was seriously wounded. According to the soldier, it was a direct battle. "Our foot-troops fought against enemy military weaponry for seven hours. But a Russian tank hit the building where Denys was holding positions with his comrades. As soon as the fire stopped, the wounded were evacuated: first by the shift buses of Ingulets GOK which were standing ready, and then by ambulance to Kryvyi Rih." After being diagnosed with a mine-blast injury, Denys was sent for treatment in Dnipro.

"After undergoing basic therapy, I did not leave the army, but was transferred to Cherkasy for further service. There I worked in a medical centre, keeping records and bandaging the wounded. I had previously completed the "Stop Blood" course and received a certificate, and on 1 June this year I was demobilized for medical reasons," says Denys.

Ilin Denys Andriiovych, the senior soldier, was awarded the President's decoration "For Defense of Ukraine"

Return to the work team and new edges of professionalism

Everyone who knew and worked with Denys Ilin was happy to hear that he is returning to work. Having had contraindications to work as a pump operator, the young man found himself in metalworking. He is currently studying to become a mechanic for the repair and maintenance of control and measuring devices and automation.

"I like this job and I'm good at it. In the military unit, in our free time, the guys and I made power banks and batteries for drones. I also decided to study to become a labor protection engineer. I chose to study at Technical University "Metinvest Polytechnic" that offered preferential terms for war veterans I took this opportunity and have no regrets. I am already actively studying online, getting to know my classmates and teachers. In two and a half years, I will have a new occupation," says Denys.

His mainstays are work, family and helping the army

Denys Ilin quickly returns to the work rhythm and says that it helps him to keep a balanced psychological state. His younger siblings, sisters aged 18 and 11, and younger brother, aged four, do not let their elder brother fall into the web of despair Denys has looked after them all since he was a child and is very attached to his family. When he was in hospital after being wounded, his family was the biggest support for the soldier.

Now, during the free-from-work time, Denys continues to make large power banks for the military He has many friends in service centres who supply him with batteries from used phones. The rest of the components Denys orders via online delivery. He assembles everything in ammunition boxes and prepares to send it to the front. The veteran absolutely believes in Ukraine's victory in the war.