Pavlo Novikov, a haul truck driver from Metinvest Group's Ingulets Iron Ore Enrichment Works, volunteered to go to the frontline. 10 months of service, defence of Kryvyi Rih, de-occupation of Kherson region and eventual return to production site. Read about this and more in the veteran's story.
On the first day of the full-scale invasion, Kryvyi Rih was one of the cities attacked by the Russians. Pavlo Novikov and his colleagues were just finishing their night shift when an enemy missile flew over the open pit mine. Explosions, bad news from all media, panicked phone calls from family and friends, and a wave of indignation due to the treachery of the neighbouring country followed.
"As soon as we finally realised that a great war had begun, the three of us from the team went to the military commissariat with a voluntary decision to defend Ukraine. I joined the 17th separate tank brigade of Kryvyi Rih as a rifleman. At first, we were defending the borders of Kryvyi Rih, guarding the railway bridge and the Mykolaiv highway. And in autumn, when our troops began to push the enemy back from the Kherson region, our unit was sent there to carry out military tasks. It was extremely important for me because I took part in the de-occupation of my home city – the Velyka Oleksandrivka community, Beryslav district. I was born and lived for 22 years in the village of Davydiv Brid, where, as we say, my navel string was buried. This is the land of my ancestors," says Pavlo NOVIKOV.
The man fondly recalls his brothers-in-arms, how they set up their lives together in dugouts, slept in trenches, on pallets, cooked lunches and had long conversations about life before and after the war. I am proud of my Kherson residents who withstood and the enemy failed to break them morally. How they happily and sincerely greeted the liberators, the Ukrainian military, how they shared their last meal with the soldiers. But Pavlo is also very sad about his home and his business in Davydiv Brid, because they have been destroyed by enemy shells.
"Before the war, I really dreamed of my own pond to stock it with fish for sport fishing. And I dug it out and managed to put a fry in it. I was very happy that my dream was slowly coming true. Suddenly, there was war, shelling. My neighbour once called me in May and said that two shells had hit my house and it was completely destroyed. A month later, I found out that the pond was also shelled. Now I want to restore everything, but I don't know when it will be possible," the man says.
Pavlo had to demobilise from the army because he needed to take care of his sick old mother. He took her to Ingulets, and now he is taking care of his closest person. And at the same time, he is working in Ingulets GZK. His daily assistant is a multi-tonne haul truck. It transports ore and overburden to the dumps – everything needed for production. According to him, the drivers and mechanics have high morale, everyone is primed for victory, because it cannot be otherwise. They are also looking forward to the return of their colleagues who are now at the frontline or recovering from injury. The team is ready to support everyone who has gone through the difficult path of military operations. To date, Ingulets GZK has implemented a special programme for the reintegration of veterans, and managers at all levels have been involved in the Heroes Among Us training course. The course was specially developed and implemented at Metinvest's enterprises to help veterans adapt to civilian life.
