Since the start of the war, more than 4,000 employees from DTEK Energy’s mines and other coal enterprises have joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine to defend the country. During the full-scale invasion, 226 veterans of the Russo-Ukrainian war—demobilised due to health reasons or family circumstances—have returned to work at the company’s coal businesses. A further 86 have taken up employment there for the first time.
Across the company’s coal enterprises, a comprehensive support network has been created for serving personnel and veterans, helping them to restore and develop their professional skills. In the first two years after demobilisation, veterans can improve their health through the Veteran+ medical insurance programme. They can also retrain for a new trade and role within the enterprise if they do not wish, or are unable, to continue in their previous occupation. Many veterans returning to work have taken up the offer of consultations with specialist lawyers and psychologists and have joined sports and rehabilitation activities organised by the company. Dedicated specialists at DTEK Energy’s coal enterprises look after the needs of veterans, serving personnel and their families. These “assistants to defenders” have themselves served in the military and have first-hand experience of reintegration into civilian life.
Because the war has left many veterans and civilians with acquired disabilities, DTEK Energy is continuing to create an inclusive environment across its enterprises. Audits have already been carried out at 18 sites, with plans prepared to adapt and equip them for inclusion. At one of the mines in Western Donbas—the first among comparable industrial enterprises in Ukraine—an inclusive environment for veterans with disabilities has already been established. Handrails have been installed at designated points; toilets and showers have been adapted; clear signage has been added; and high-visibility contrast strips have been placed in areas requiring extra attention, among other adjustments.
"In addition, to support the employment of veterans with disabilities who went to defend the country and wish to return to work after demobilisation, we are finalising a universal tool—a catalogue of inclusive roles. This will allow us to match jobs to veterans’ physical needs and capabilities, expanding opportunities for employment and professional self-realisation for veterans with disabilities. Even now, more than 40 veterans with disabilities are working at the company’s coal enterprises. We aim to be among the first major industrial companies in Ukraine to put in place an inclusive environment systematically—first and foremost for our employees returning from the front,” said Oleksandr Fomenko, CEO of DTEK Energy.
