Young electrician Vladislav Bilyk has been working at Kamet Steel's sinter plant for eight years since graduation from the Kamianske Higher Vocational School. His seasoned colleague and mentor, Oleksandr Vasylenko, has devoted most of his life to this profession. Not only do they have the same work ethic and responsible attitude to repair jobs in the sinter plant's stock yard, but they also serve the same honourable cause: since the first days of the war, they have been devoting their time and energy to volunteering in order to support their colleagues who have joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

On the occasion of Kamet Steel's recent 135th anniversary, Vladyslav Bilyk and Oleksandr Vasylenko were awarded a letter of appreciation from the company's management for their personal contribution to volunteering and active civil engagement. This serves a testament to the recognition of their noble work by their colleagues and management, a nice accomplishment that, in all fairness, they did not think about when they committed themselves to helping the defenders.

"It started for all of us on 24 February 2022," recalls Vladyslav BILYK. "A few days later, many of our colleagues went to defend Ukraine from the enemy, including two guys from our crew. In the first days of the insidious invasion, we all felt a certain amount of confusion, which quickly gave way to an understanding of what we needed to do. Those who stayed on the shop floor began to help their comrades who joined the defence forces. Oleksandr Hryhorovych and I defined our "area of responsibility" – to help our conscripted colleagues with the supply of gear. At the very beginning, the work was intense – we looked for companies that sewed and made manufactured gear, as well as the necessary fabrics and materials. People on the shop floor raised funds for this purpose. In addition, sending aid to the frontline was difficult at first.

We looked for contacts, for volunteers who went to the area of hostilities; sometimes we would ask members of the military, who were on their way to the frontline and agreed to deliver our parcels "to the address."

In a short time, Rinat Akhmetov's Steel Front defence initiative engaged in providing conscripted steelworkers with the necessary gear. In total, Kamet Steel's employees who joined the army received more than 800 bulletproof vests, helmets, winter kits of cold weather gear, and so on. However, our volunteers did not stand aside – they helped to ensure targeted deliveries of aid from the company thanks to constant contact and communication with colleagues on the frontline.

In the third year of the war, assiduous work of the sinter plant's volunteers has not stopped, they monitor the urgent needs of their mobilised comrades and their colleagues on a daily basis. In combat positions, under constant shelling, electrical equipment and parts - boxes, wires, cables, light bulbs and switches – are not just consumables, but something that needs to be continually replenished. Tactical shovels, jacks, even gloves – you name it. These issues should be addressed as soon as possible.

In his free time, Oleksandr Vasylenko successfully implemented a bold idea to make power banks and flashlights for the Ukrainian Armed Forces from used e-cigarettes. His fellow electricians Oleksandr Kryvosheiev and Mykola Prokhorenko, who work at MPS, joined in. In less than a year, the friends have already made more than 100 power banks and more than 300 flashlights, which they sent to the frontline.

"I believe that in times of war, all of us must be duty conscious. Either you defend Ukraine, or you work to support its economy and do your best to help its defenders. There is no other way – we are one nation

and we have a common goal. I want my one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, who bears the wise name Sofia, like all other Ukrainian children, to grow up in a peaceful and free country, and for us, their parents, to be able to look them in the eye with confidence because we have performed our duty honestly – each in his or her place," says Vladyslav Bilyk.