This morning Russian forces launched a military assault on Ukraine, crossing its borders and bombing military targets near big cities. In a pre-dawn TV statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia did not plan to occupy Ukraine and demanded that its military lay down its arms.
There had been tensions between Russia and Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, for some years now. However, things got out of hand early last year when Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President, urged Joe Biden, the President of the US let Ukraine join NATO.
Consequently, Russia started sending troops near the Ukraine border for training exercises. Post that move, a lot has happened to cool down the situation, including French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Moscow, India’s call for diplomacy, and much more.
Fast-forwarding to February 24, 2022, Russia has launched missiles at several cities in Ukraine and landed troops in the country. According to Regional authorities of Ukraine’s southern Odessa region, around 18 people were killed in the missile attack.
On the other hand, Ukraine’s military has destroyed four Russian tanks on a road near Kharkiv, killed 50 troops near a town in the Luhansk region, and downed six Russian warplanes in the east, reports Reuters.
With the country being home to tech giants like Grammarly, GitLab, Preply and with over 2000 startups, Ukraine has a fast-developing startup ecosystem. In such a horrific situation, all the tech firms are trying their best to help their staff and founders. This is what VR edtech startup CEO, Musemio’s – Olga Kravchenko posted on her Linkedin today.
Further, Grammarly’s CEO Brad Hoover says that the company is prioritizing the safety and well-being of our team members. They have laid out contingency plans for various scenarios, along with financial and logistical assistance to support team members and their families in getting to safety. It also includes business continuity plans to ensure Grammarly’s services will not be disrupted.
Meanwhile, Jarosław Krolewski, who’s the founder of AI and deep tech company Synerise is urging big tech to ban their connections and any type of business with Russia. This is what he tweeted in the morning:
Also, Jakob Ramlöw who’s a talent acquisition specialist and hires developers from Ukraine for global companies is trying to relocate the Ukraine developers as easy as possible.
Victoria Kirillova, who’s a fintech market analyst at Lviv-based software developing company — Relevant Software informed that they’re contacting their engineers to check their mental health, ensure their safety, and give all the help required.
If you’re moved to help, some tech experts in the industry are sharing authentic organisations and charity funds that continue to help Ukrainians. The Red Cross is also active in Ukraine.
Further Ukrainians have put together a list of resources on how foreigners can help. There are all reputable organisations doing good work. Spread far and wide:
British telecom company Vodafone UK has announced free-roaming for its customers who are in Ukraine for the next five days. On top of that, Vodafone is also implementing free calls and text messages for its customers and colleagues who are trying to get in contact with family and friends in Ukraine.
