Open dialogue, discussion of current needs, and a joint search for solutions. At Integrated Iron Ore, General Director Igor Tonyev met with veteran movement leaders of Metinvest's sites. Participants discussed ways to support veterans, development of veteran initiatives, and creation of comfortable conditions for defenders returning to work after military service.
Meetings like this are part of a systematic effort to help veterans adapt and reintegrate that remains one of the top priorities for Metinvest's companies. Veteran communities and their leaders play an important role in this process. They help demobilised colleagues settle back into civilian life and work, foster communication between veterans and management, and voice the defenders' current needs.
During the meeting, Igor TONEV, General Director of Integrated Iron Ore, thanked employees who defended and continue to defend Ukraine and underscored the importance of ongoing dialogue with veterans.
"Dear colleagues, I want to thank you for your sense of responsibility and courage, thanks to which we get to live and work today. Being here with you, speaking face to face, truly matters to me. Comprehensive support for veteran communities is an absolute priority for our company. We are not just waiting for our defenders to come home – we are building a solid support system and comfortable working conditions for them. Our task is to hear every one of you, to understand your needs and expectations. You are welcome to approach me personally with any pressing matters – my door is always open to you. This meeting, and this format of engagement, will from now on be a regular practice."
Veteran leaders from Northern Iron Ore, Inhulets Iron Ore, and Central Iron Ore took part in the meeting. During the discussion, they raised issues that are relevant today for employees returning to work after military service and shared their own experience and suggestions for the further development of veteran initiatives.
One of the key topics was the need to establish a veteran hub at Integrated Iron Ore. Veterans from Metinvest's Kryvyi Rih facilities saw an example of such a space during a visit to Kamet Steel in Kamianske. In their view, the hub could become a space for gathering, talking, training, developing joint initiatives, decompressing psychologically, and recovering both physically and emotionally.
Among the proposed ideas was the creation of a memory space to showcase items brought back from the front line, symbolising the wartime experience and the cost of freedom.
The meeting participants also placed particular focus on improving welfare and sanitary conditions for veterans with prosthetic limbs and employees with disabilities. The discussion covered creating a more accessible and comfortable environment tailored to the specific needs of for defenders returning to work after injury. The veterans also expressed interest in being more actively involved in the city's cultural events.
Leader of Inhulets Iron Ore's veteran movement Viacheslav MAZURENKO highlighted the importance of open communication between veterans and management of the companies.
"We got to know each other in person and had an open discussion about veterans' pressing needs. It was a candid conversation about supporting employees who are returning, or have already returned, from the front line. We talked about adapting to civilian life and work, as well as developing veteran initiatives. It is important that this dialogue happens openly and makes it possible to be heard."
"Meetings like this are very much needed, as they allow us to speak directly about the issues that matter to veterans today," says Viktor POLISHCHUK, deputy head of the veteran movement at Central Iron Ore. "Everyone's experience of returning to work after service is different, but there are also shared needs. We discussed setting up a veterans' hub, improving conditions for veterans with disabilities, and other matters related to the everyday life of defenders after returning from the front. It is important that these topics are on management’s radar and that they are being worked on."
Volodymyr ZOLOTARIOV, veteran leader at Northern Iron Ore, stressed the importance of open dialogue and willingness to work together to implement changes.
"Today we saw what matters most: management's willingness not just to listen, but to hear us. We came to this meeting with specific proposals, and General Director's personal involvement in discussing each issue gives us confidence going forward. Open dialogue and consistent feedback will help bring to life the solutions that veterans genuinely need."
The meeting participants agreed to keep this practice going. Meetings between veteran leaders and management of the companies are planned to take place regularly – roughly once a quarter. This will help maintain ongoing feedback, respond promptly to veterans' current needs, and jointly develop solutions for their successful adaptation and integration into work teams.
