The Russians are in Ukraine: What is happening and how you can help.
For nearly two decades, Ukraine has been a major IT outsourcing hub, attracting the likes of Amazon, Apple, Google, IBM, and Oracle. Both have hired senior engineering talent and contract dedicated teams from local IT firms. The proximity to European and Asian markets and a massive pool of tech talent using a variety of programming languages are attractive for startups and established tech companies.
In late 2021-early 2022, warnings from U.S. sources caused many Ukrainian and global companies with offices in Ukraine to develop plans to:
- Promptly relocate employees and families to neighboring countries
- Support those who stay in Ukraine
- Secure backup communication methods
- Temporarily transfer business-critical responsibilities to team members outside of Ukraine
Ukraine has been at war (albeit undeclared) for eight years, with the Russian Federation annexing the Crimean Peninsula and Eastern territories. The remainder of Ukraine lived peacefully, steadily growing the economy and implementing crucial reforms. Few expected a full-on invasion from Putin’s regime.
On 24 February 2022, our colleagues and millions of people woke up at 5 am to see Ukrainian military bases, airports, enterprises, and residential areas across the country bombed, creating the largest invasion in Europe since WWII.
Russian forces have attacked Ukraine from the north, east, and south. Their airplane units are bombing cities and villages, destroying homes, schools, airports, railways, bridges, power plants, and killing many civilians.
Russian land troops are trying to capture major cities, including the capital of Kyiv. The Russians have targeted nuclear power plants, keeping personnel hostage and threatening the world with another Chernobyl. Major roads to the West are gridlocked. Russian warships are bombing the entire Ukrainian coast.
Currently, there is no way to estimate the scale of death and destruction caused by Putin’s aggression. However, Ukrainians are standing strong and fighting fiercely. While the Ukrainian Army strives to defend every city, town, and village from the Russian tanks and bombs, local men and women have joined the Territorial Defense Forces and are fortifying their towns.
Women and children are being evacuated to the safer Western region of Ukraine or abroad. Most neighboring countries to the West of Ukraine are allowing them through without visas and often even without a passport. Over 2,500,000 refugees have crossed the borders of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. At the same time, thousands of people worldwide are returning to Ukraine to help their families or fight for their homeland.
Those who are in Ukraine, in cities and towns under attack, spend nights in bomb shelters and do whatever they can to support the army, help people in need, and carry on with their lives as much as they can working, operating businesses, and caring for their families.
