Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed the global economy and unfortunately brought the once-thriving Ukrainian economy to a near standstill. This has left business leaders to fight for their country and maintain economic stability. Before the war, the tech sector of Ukraine accounted for around four per cent of the nation’s total GDP, created high-paying jobs and attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign investment. At this tough period of Ukrainian history, Leobit feels responsible for supporting the country by continuing our operations and making donations for our army.

Oleksa Stelmakh, CEO and founder of Leobit, shared his experience with Swiss magazine, Journal des arts et métiers, about what it’s like to run a business in a country at war.

“As a Ukrainian citizen and a businessman, I have three main priorities. The first two are equally important — to protect my country and to ensure the safety of Leobit’s employees. The third, of course, is continuing Leobit operational activity and delivering high-quality services for our existing and new clients.

Once the shock of this war was over, we got back to work. More than 90% of our employees work full-time, combining work with volunteering activities to support our army and refugees. The rest are working part-time due to relocation, but are planning to switch to full-time mode after they finish settling in a new place.

It’s total craziness what’s happening to us, but we are continuously grateful for all the invaluable support we have received from our customers based in the US and Europe. None of our clients have wanted to stop or suspend the contracts. Some have made donations directly to Ukraine’s Armed Forces account, others to non-governmental humanitarian organizations. For example, one of our Swiss clients donated 25,000 francs to the Red Cross. It’s the gesture that shows us that we are not alone in the fight against brutal war resolved in the heart of Europe by a fascist regime of 21st century”.

Leobit greatly appreciates that the whole civilized world stands with Ukraine now, and we really hope this war will end soon. Together we will stop the russian aggression on the European world once and for all.

Read the original version of Oleksa’s interview here.