Yuliia Manirko is from Sumy region. She joined the UKRNAFTA team immediately after graduating from college, when she was just 18. She began her career in 1993 as a chemical water treatment operator. She later worked for a time as a laboratory assistant before moving into a boiler house operator role and gradually gaining further qualifications.

 

Today, Yuliia has more than three decades of operational experience. She works at an industrial boiler house that supplies the company’s facilities with steam and heat. These are essential for the operation of process equipment, the heating of plant units and premises, and for certain industrial safety systems.

 

As an operator, Yuliia continuously monitors the condition of the boilers and other equipment, keeps track of the readings, identifies any deviations promptly and carries out the necessary switching operations. She coordinates the work of the shift staff, maintains work logs and stays in contact with the dispatcher, foreman and electrical services. The team’s primary responsibility is to keep the equipment running reliably and prevent emergencies.

 

Most of the boiler house employees are women. It is a small team, so everyone knows one another well and tries to offer support not only with work-related matters.

 

When Yuliia looks back on her early years at the company, she remembers above all the people who worked alongside her. Senior colleagues helped her understand the complex equipment and explained the production processes, gradually becoming almost like family. They shared not only professional knowledge, but also life advice, recipes and homemade preserves. This tradition remains part of the team’s culture today.

 

Handicrafts help Yuliia unwind after work. She does cross-stitch and bead embroidery and makes shirts for her family. Knitting is another of her passions. Together with other women, she knits warm socks and belts for service members and delivers them to a local volunteer centre. She also contributes to fundraising campaigns in support of Ukraine’s defenders.

 

From time to time, Yuliia visits her daughter, who has lived and worked abroad since 2022. Even a few days together help her take her mind off things, enjoy a change of scene and return home feeling refreshed.