20.11.2025 | News
- Five Ukrainians are training in Finland in November. Three women and two men will become professional demolition workers, bringing Nordic expertise to Ukraine’s recovery.
- The project is funded by Sweden and managed by Nefco. It promotes safe and circular demolition practices as part of sustainable war debris management.
- The initiative emphasises capacity building and women’s participation. These efforts aim to strengthen Ukraine’s long-term recovery and local resilience.
- Nefco currently has over 60 green recovery projects under implementation in Ukraine.
Five Ukrainians – three of them women – have arrived in Finland to undergo professional training in demolition work as part of a joint effort between Nefco and Lotus Demolition, a Nordic demolition company. The training supports sustainable reconstruction in Ukraine by transferring Nordic expertise in safe and circular demolition practices.
The training covers demolition theory, occupational safety and asbestos handling. Participants will earn Finnish safety certificates in Ukrainian, followed by hands-on training in concrete crushing, metal separation and demolition machinery operation. The course concludes with three weeks of supervised fieldwork on active demolition sites in the capital region.
“This is more than just training; it’s about transferring practical expertise that the participants can take back home to rebuild their own communities. That’s real reconstruction,” says Kimmo Palomäki, CEO of Lotus Demolition.
One of the training participants, Nataliia, says: “After losing my home to the hostilities, I now rent housing in Bucha. Joining this team gives me the opportunity to learn demolition skills and actively contribute to rebuilding my country’s future.”
Part of a wider Swedish-funded initiative
Training in Finland and further support for demolition works in Ukraine by Lotus Demolition form part of a EUR 6 million Swedish-funded initiative, managed by Nefco, to promote sustainable reconstruction and debris management in Ukraine. The project pilots a sustainable debris management approach in Irpin, near Kyiv, one of the cities in the capital region most affected by Russia’s full-scale invasion. It can be scaled up and used as inspiration and point of reference for hundreds of municipalities across the war-torn country.
Swedish companies Scania and Volvo Construction Equipment (CE) are providing trucks and demolition excavators for the reconstruction project. UK-based JCB will supply loaders, while the Italian firm Komplet will deliver a debris-screening and crushing plant. Beyond technology and equipment, the wider concept is built around capacity building: developing local skills and professional competence for sustainable debris management. A key focus is on training and employing women in demolition and heavy machinery operation. This approach not only accelerates recovery but also strengthens civil society and promotes long-term resilience.
Capacity building at the core of green recovery work
Nefco currently has over 60 green recovery projects under implementation in Ukraine. This initiative combines Nordic expertise with local action to ensure long-term impact.
“Through this cooperation, we connect Nordic solidarity, financing, technology and know-how directly with Ukrainian communities. Capacity building is at the heart of our work: empowering people, especially women, to lead the reconstruction themselves. By investing in people and sustainable methods, we are helping Ukraine build back greener and better,” says Ulf Bojö, VP, Head of Nefco’s Eastern Europe department.
Upon returning to Irpin, the trained demolition team will begin work on dismantling damaged apartment buildings, an industrial facility, and a school in the nearby city of Mykulychi. The Mykulychi school will be rebuilt with Finnish funding under Nefco’s Green Recovery Programme.
For further information, please contact:
Vitaly Artyushchenko, Programme Manager, Nefco
vitaly.artyushchenko@nefco.int, +358 50 9112427
Anni Rein, Senior Communications Manager, Nefco
anni.rein@nefco.int, +358 10 6180 852
Olli-Pekka Itälä, Head of Division, Lotus Demolition
olli-pekka.itala@lotusdemolition.fi, +358 43 824 0177
About Lotus Demolition
A market leader and pioneer in the field of demolition, Lotus Demolition Oy offers comprehensive demolition services. As the only company in the industry, we offer our customers the possibility of real-time monitoring of the demolition site. We operate nationwide in Finland and can also handle international demolition projects. We belong to the Nordic company Lotus, a family business operating in the fields of demolition, transport and landscaping. Our parent company is headquartered in Sweden. The company’s net sales total approximately EUR 120 million, and it employs about 450 professionals, making it the biggest demolition company in the Nordics. Read more at lotusdemolition.fi