13 October 2025 – Recently, in the mining town of Horishni Plavni in Ukraine, a group of war veterans and their partners, sat down for a filmed discussion.
The result is a moving and informative documentary, “Unbroken: Voices of Veterans and their Partners,” produced by Ferrexpo plc, the London-listed iron ore producer in Ukraine whose workforce has seen more than one in ten mobilised to the Armed Forces.
The centrepiece of the discussion was “Stories of Veterans,” a video project first launched in 2024 by Nick Bias, Ferrexpo’s Head of Corporate Communications. The series, which so far has attracted more than 8 million views from within Ukraine and around the world, presents the same wartime journey through two perspectives: the veteran and their partner.
Nick Bias, Ferrexpo’s Head of Corporate Communications, commented:
“War evolves in phases. There is the call to the front, the long stretch of combat, and now, for many brave Ukrainians, the moment of return. But coming home doesn’t mean the struggle is over for war veterans. It marks the beginning of a new chapter, one filled with questions of identity, of healing, and of reintegration into their former lives.
The aim an purpose of these films and the group discussion was not only to share lived experiences, but to create an archive of testimony for future generations.
Members of the production team recalled that these were among the most complex and candid accounts they had ever filmed. Viewers have responded in kind, with hundreds of comments expressing gratitude for the defenders’ sacrifices.”
For Ferrexpo, supporting veterans is not a corporate gesture — it is a responsibility.”
While wider society struggles to adjust, responsible employers are already acting. Ferrexpo has developed a comprehensive veterans rehabilitation programme, governed by a simple rule: ‘never decide for the veteran.’
“Support means an individual approach to each person,” stresses Serhiy Valkovyi, Head of Unified Service and HR Administration at the Company.
In practice, this ranges from medical care to workplace adaptation:
- Rehabilitation and treatment: Ferrexpo’s own medical centre in Poltava has become a hub for diagnosis, therapy and long-term rehabilitation. The company arranges prosthetics in partnership with leading Ukrainian and international centres.
- Psychological support: Both individual and group counselling are offered online and offline. Where necessary, cases are escalated to specialist care. Psychological support is also provided on an anonymous basis.
- Preparing colleagues: Before a veteran returns, managers prepare their teams ensuring that the veteran, not the team, can choose if they want to open up about their war experience
- Workplace adjustments: Soldier’s roles are reassessed to match their health. When previous roles prove impossible, retraining is offered.
- Skills transfer: Precise goals are set and solutions found to ensure returning veterans are confident at work
- Work as therapy: Some have chosen to return early, finding that “work helped them switch their minds back.”
Looking forward, Ferrexpo plans to introduce ‘adaptation agents’ — veterans who will mentor peers on the principle of “equals supporting equals.”
The full catalogue of “Stories of Veterans” videos, as well as the “Unbroken: voices of Veterans and their Partners” trailer, are available on Ferrexpo’s YouTube channel now.
The full documentary is expected to be released later this month.