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Mariupol Defenders Become Peer Trainers to Support Veterans’ Return to Civilian Life
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![Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk]( "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
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The Heart of Azovstal initiative, part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front initiative, has held a team-building training camp to prepare veterans as peer trainers in post-traumatic growth, according to a statement published on its website on January 23.
The intensive program brought together 10 defenders of the Ukrainian Mariupol city who have experienced combat, injuries, captivity, and personal loss. They are now training to support fellow veterans and their families during the early stages of returning to civilian life, using a peer-to-peer support model.
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The defense of Mariupol and the Azovstal steel plant became one of the most consequential episodes of Ukraine’s resistance in 2022. After Russian forces encircled the city, Ukrainian units held Azovstal for nearly three months under constant airstrikes and artillery fire, using the plant’s underground infrastructure as their final defensive position, Suspilne reported.
The siege ended in May 2022 after 86 days, when the Ukrainian command ordered the remaining defenders to lay down arms to preserve lives. Thousands were taken into captivity, and the battle left Mariupol largely destroyed by the Russian forces.
During the training camp, participants studied the principles of post-traumatic growth, learned structured psychological support protocols, practiced group facilitation techniques, and developed skills for safely working with traumatic experiences, according to Heart of Azovstal.
The training combined theory, practical exercises, and team-based work aimed at building trust and mutual support.
“If it seems that the ‘peer-to-peer’ format is just about talking and providing support, that is not the case. Trainers undergo special training and learn psychological intervention and support protocols. This is the first line of assistance that can relieve tension, provide a sense of support, and, if necessary, refer a person to a specialist for more in-depth work,” the initiative’s psychologist, Nataliia Shevchenko, said.
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“We, veterans, do not break down; we transform. And this transformation does not have to be undergone alone in the dark. It can be undergone together with comrades, coaches, and the support of public organizations. This makes the path easier and less painful,” said one of the participants, Mariupol defender Viktor Morozov, stating that his own wartime experience motivated him to help others recover.
Following the camp, the newly trained instructors will begin leading group sessions and trainings for veterans and their families, offering practical tools for adaptation, recovery, and mutual support, the initiative wrote.
Previously, it was reported that Ukrainian doctors have removed a bullet lodged in the heart of a soldier who defended Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant and survived three years in Russian captivity.
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
