A war veteran from Zaporizhzhia told us about his combat experience and his own path of reintegration into civilian life.
Denys Humennyi from Zaporizhzhia has been working at ZAPOROZHOGNEUPOR since 2010. He started as a sorter in the Firebrick Shop and simultaneously participated in career development programmes offered by Metinvest Group to its employees.
"During the first years of my work, I spent time studying technology and products, doing more than my position required. That's why I was offered to perform the duties of a Firebrick Shop foreman Then I applied for the "Young Leaders" corporate programme, and our team won a prize. This further motivated me to come up with new ideas to improve production. I worked in the Continuous Improvement Department. Later, in 2019, I moved to the Aluminium Silicate Shop as the head of the finished goods warehouse for high alumina production," recalls Denys HUMENNYI.
With the outbreak of a full-scale war, the production worker decided to support his brother, who went to defend the country, and also joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, although he was deferred from military service.
In April 2022, after completion of training at a specialised centre, he was sent to the 91st Okhtyrka Separate Combat Support Regiment, where he was responsible for chemical defence.
From August 2022, he continued his service as a sapper in the 54th Separate Mechanised Brigade named after Hetman Ivan Mazepa of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He performed combat missions in the Donetsk sector. During his service, he was promoted from a soldier to senior sergeant.
In July 2023, he was fragmentarily wounded and contused After treatment and rehabilitation, he returned to the front line. During his service, the soldier-employee of ZAPOROZHOGNEUPOR received many awards for bravery, including the "Steel Cross" and the Order for Courage, III class.
This year, Denys became a multi-child father. After his discharge from the service, he immediately returned to work at ZAPOROZHOGNEUPOR.
"It was important for me to return not only to my wife and children, but also to my work family. These people know me, and I know them. I feel their support and understanding. I feel at ease here. It helps me a lot to return to civilian life and my profession. I have a lot of plans for the future that I would like to implement," says Denys Humennyi.
To develop his profession, this year Denys was admitted to the first non-state mining and metallurgical university, Metinvest Polytechnic. He chose to study Engineering of Mechanical Equipment and Systems.
My first profession is programming, but now I have chosen a new area of specialization - applied mechanics This is a completely different direction for me, which makes it more interesting, although not easy. My studies will help me develop in my chosen profession and be able to develop my home enterprise," says Denys.
This year, over 130 future bachelors and over 75 masters and postgraduate students were admitted to Metinvest Polytechnic. Among them are 26 war veterans - employees of ZAPORIZHSTAL, ZAPOROZHOGNEUPOR, ZAPORIZHCOKE, LLC ZCMW and other Metinvest enterprises, as well as defenders of AZOVSTAL IRON & STEEL WORKS in Mariupol.
Metinvest Polytechnic works in a mixed format: online learning is combined with offline practical classes, laboratory work and experiments at enterprises, which is very convenient for working professionals.
Metinvest's process man notes that the university is distinguished by adapting the educational process to modern business requirements. The best students receive scholarships and have the opportunity to participate in grant programmes.
Anyone can also get involved in research and student self-government.
Over the past three years, Metinvest Polytechnic has admitted over 1,080 students, of whom the first-year master's students have already received diplomas that allow them to work at leading industrial enterprises.
