“This apartment will be the beginning of our new life”: Mariupol defender Vitalii Shumaker receives a home from the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation
01.10.2026
Mariupol defender Vitalii Shumaker has received his own apartment through the At Home programme, implemented by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation together with the Heart of Azovstal project. For the serviceman, who returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity with severe injuries, the new home is an opportunity to rebuild his life together with his wife Maryna and their two sons.
Vitalii, 52, is a native of Mariupol. From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he defended his hometown. In May 2022, while at the Azovstal plant, he came under an airstrike. As a result of the attack, he sustained a blast injury, burns to his face and both hands, and a fractured collarbone, and partially lost his hearing and eyesight.
On May 18, 2022, Vitalii was taken into captivity on the orders of his command. There, he was repeatedly subjected to brutal beatings and electric shocks. As a result of abuse by Russian servicemen, he suffered facial bone fractures, lost 11 teeth, and lost 30 kilograms of weight. In total, the defender spent more than three years in captivity. Today, he has Group II disability status but continues to serve.
For Vitalii, the new home is first and foremost an opportunity to have a place of his own and focus on his family, particularly his younger son Maksym, who has a disability and requires special care.
“We are very grateful to the Foundation and Rinat Leonidovych for such an incredibly beautiful apartment. I hope this apartment will be the beginning of our new life. Thank you very much,” says the defender.
Presenting Vitalii with the keys and the apartment certificate, Ksenia Sukhova, Director General of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, emphasized that the apartment is above all a token of gratitude for his contribution to the defense of the city and the country.
“I would like to thank you on behalf of our founder and the entire team of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation and Heart of Azovstal for the heroic defense of the city of Mariupol, for everything you have done and continue to do for our country,” said Ksenia Sukhova.
She also wished Vitalii and his family happiness in their new home. The defender spent a long time recovering from captivity and undergoing rehabilitation, with the help of his older son Marko, a professional coach. According to him, the apartment from the Foundation will now become a powerful motivation for his father to continue his recovery and move beyond his old injuries.
“This is a second wind, a new life, his great dream. I think you can see everything in his eyes. My mother, father, younger brother, and I are all very happy,” says Marko.
According to Natalia Yemchenko, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, apartments are being handed over to Mariupol defenders through the At Home programme every week. Due to the large number of applications, the programme will continue next year as well.
The At Home programme provides apartments for Mariupol defenders with Group I and Group II disabilities. Having a home of their own is not only a solution to their everyday needs and practical matters but also an important part of the path toward post-traumatic growth — a return to a fulfilling life after combat and captivity.
