Social capital
Being of service to society, supporting communities in the cities where we operate, and helping those in need are key components of DMS’s philosophy, which has been put into practice over the years through social and humanitarian projects of varying scales.
The successful development of our business lines has enabled us to allocate funds to nonprofit programs supporting sports for children, youth, and adults; promoting a healthy lifestyle; assisting children without parental care; supporting the elderly; and more.
We firmly believe that business success is determined not only by financial indicators but also by the level of its social responsibility. It has always been important for us to help address society’s pressing needs and to play a role in shaping the future—creating clear and attractive prospects for people in the regions where we operate.
For many years, extensive work on the comprehensive support and development of society has been systematically carried out in the Corporation’s traditional region of operations—Donetsk and the Donetsk region.
With the outbreak of Russia’s war against Ukraine and under the conditions of the enemy’s occupation of part of our country’s territory, the Corporation’s humanitarian projects were suspended for objective reasons. The same was true for the progressive development of the Donetsk region. We lost a vast body of work and important achievements.
Helping Children: Care That Changes Lives
One of the Corporation’s most important social projects was its long-standing support for the children at Orphanage No. 1 in the Kuibyshevsky District of Donetsk.
Our goal was not only to provide material assistance and ensure a high standard of care for the children, but also to create conditions for their harmonious and well-rounded development, socialization, and preparation for a fulfilling future. DMS management supported all initiatives by the orphanage staff aimed at providing high-quality and engaging leisure activities, education, recreation, and development for children deprived of parental care. A multi-tiered grant program was developed to support the children’s further education and vocational training, but it was never implemented due to the war.
This initiative was not merely a charitable project, but a cause of special significance to the entire DMS team.
Sports as a Social Mission
Sports, which build character and strengthen willpower, have always held an important place in the lives of the people who founded and developed the DMS Corporation. Among our employees are many Masters of Sport, medalists in prestigious competitions in shooting, skydiving, hand-to-hand combat, boxing, judo, and sambo, as well as professional divers and tennis players. Consequently, the Corporation has always paid close attention to sports initiatives, especially those aimed at young people.
Since 2006, the DMS Corporation has supported the Donetsk Regional Hand-to-Hand Combat Federation (DORHCF).
In 2007, Andriy Alyosha became president of the Federation, and the DMS Financial and Industrial Corporation became a permanent partner of the DORHCF.
From that point on, the Federation systematically ensured the development of participants’ athletic skills, their physical well-being, and high-quality preparation for competitions, including through training camps on the Black Sea coast,
strengthening team spirit and providing opportunities for athletes to spend leisure time together.
The Corporation’s consistent support helped the DOFRB quickly earn the title of the best team in Ukraine and, with the largest number of athletes, join the national team to represent Ukraine at international competitions.
Subsequently, the Donetsk Regional Hand-to-Hand Combat Federation launched the “Knowledge, Health, Strength” program, which aimed to promote sports and a healthy lifestyle among young people, as well as to establish hand-to-hand combat clubs in public schools.
DMS Corporation ensured the program’s continuous expansion: free hand-to-hand combat clubs operated in dozens of schools in Donetsk and the Donetsk region, reaching over 1,000 students.
The children were trained by masters of sports and Ukrainian, European, and world champions in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts. All school clubs were provided with the necessary sports equipment and protective gear. Qualifying tournaments were also held at the schools, serving as a springboard to the Federation for talented children.
Supporting Talent and Promoting the Country
Another successful nonprofit initiative for DMS was the support and development of the “Yenakiieve” mini-soccer club. Under the Corporation’s patronage—as the general sponsor—the club became a true source of pride for the region: it won the Donetsk Oblast Championship and Cup, and claimed bronze in the Ukrainian Championship, as well as the national Cup and Super Cup. Until 2014, the club developed steadily and provided talented young people with the opportunity to excel in professional sports. Five players on the team became world champions among students.
The DMS Corporation also supported young tennis players: our protégés repeatedly placed in prestigious national and international European tournaments.
2014 Changed Everything
The war that began in the east of the country in 2014 became a turning point in both global and personal histories: due to the Russian occupation and the loss of control over some of its assets, the Corporation was forced to suspend most of its social programs in the Donetsk region. “Yenakiieve” ceased its activities. It also became impossible to provide assistance to the orphanage. It later came to light that Ukrainian children, residents of Orphanage No. 1, had been abducted by the occupying authorities and taken to various regions of the Russian Federation, where they were held in closed facilities.
The hand-to-hand combat training areas were looted or destroyed.
Due to the Russian invasion, DMS, like many businesses, had to undergo the difficult process of relocation. Limited in our capabilities but not in our aspirations, we continued to develop social programs, particularly those supporting sports and active youth.
The DMS Shooting Team
One of the non-profit projects that became significant to us after the relocation was the creation of a shooting team (2015). The initiative was launched by the Corporation’s president, Andriy Alyosha. Already in its first year, the DMS team took second place in the team standings at the Ukrainian Championship in the “Pistol” category. Successes came rapidly: our team cemented its status as one of the strongest in Ukraine, won the national championship title, and joined the national team. The athletes of the DMS shooting team demonstrated a high level of training and consistent victories, ranking among the best shooters in Europe and the world. At the most recent competition, the Ukraine Handgun & PCC Open in 2021, the team won “gold,” and athletes Serhiy Laputko and Oleksandr Tsaplya took home medals in the individual standings.
Before the full-scale invasion, the DMS shooting team was a true flagship of the Corporation and one of the best and most inspiring examples for Ukraine’s sports community.
We are proud of each of our people not only for their outstanding athletic achievements but, above all, for their civic stance and courage. Since 2022, due to Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the DMS team has ceased its operations as a sports unit—our athletes have stepped up to defend the country.
Once, nearly 20 years ago, we decided what best characterized us as a business, expressing it in a concise slogan: “Stronger than steel!”
We believed in our success, our ideas, our right choices, and our athletes. That is who we were, and that is who we remain today: even more resilient, even more confident in the path we once chose.
Right now, all of society’s urgent needs and the country’s future lie on the battlefield, and our task as a business is to direct every possible form of support precisely there.
But we know that the day will come when we can resume our usual—and so deeply desired by all of us—peaceful, socially oriented activities. We believe this will also be the case in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
Of course, humanitarian programs will take on a new—postwar—context: DMS Corporation is already planning a large-scale social project to support and help veterans returning from the war (among them will be our own employees, whose well-being is and will remain our priority). We will also continue to focus our attention on younger generations and their needs for full development.
