during the last days Ukraine has been suffering from a real military operation by Russia and before which more than a million inhabitants have fled the country as refugees to escape the conflict.
As well It is noteworthy that the country is home to a large community of developers software developers working remotely for companies located in the United States and Europe and one thing that stands by many is that these developers, along with other Ukrainian civilians in the country, now they are forced to defend their homes and towns as they shelter from Russian bombs. But many of them continue to work remotely for their employers, supporting the local defense effort during the day and sending their deliveries at night.
“Yes, our teams are sending deliveries from a parking lot in Kharkiv, under shelling and artillery fire in the area. Amazing humans… Of course, we told you that not all deliverables are available. We were expecting nothing more than to tell us how we could help them other than transfer money and move their visa process forward,” Logan Bender, San Francisco-based chief financial officer of software licensing, said in a story posted on Instagram Tuesday by the account. PrayingforExits venture capital memes. Bender strove to get a defense service to get his employees out of the conflict zone under the protection of armed guards..
The country had 200.000 Ukrainian developers in 2020, according to Amsterdam-based software development outsourcing company Daxx, which claims that 20% of Fortune 500 companies have their remote development teams in Ukraine.
Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, and its capital, Kiev, have been under heavy bombardment. during several days. Government facilities, residential buildings and public places have been burned or reduced to rubble, while Russia says it is only targeting military infrastructure.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his forces would participate in a "special military operation" to "demilitarize" Ukraine, which he says is not a legitimate state despite having been a legitimate independent country for 30 years. .
As major Ukrainian cities suffer devastating attacks that have reduced buildings to rubble, business leaders in the United States and Europe have expressed fear for their Ukraine-based staff.
A Ukrainian developer, who requested anonymity for professional reasons, he described how difficult it was to continue working in the midst of the war.
"It's very hard to focus on work when things like this happen in your country," the developer said, adding that he was grateful his employer understood his situation.
“I want to thank everyone who cares about my country and cares about it. Everyone in my country is working for one goal now. Every person in my country is fighting, every person is helping each other… Thanks again to the whole world for your support. We are fighting for our rights for the future and would appreciate any form of support: medical help, food, equipment for the military and volunteers, or just kind words of support,” he added.
Ukrainians working in IT related fields also display their skills combat at home. Employees of a local digital marketing agency in Kiev are involved in carrying out cyber attacks against Russian entities, in conjunction with the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation.
A local Telegram channel dedicated to crowdsourcing programmers to carry out cyber attacks against Russia has nearly a million subscribers.
The United States and several European countries send weapons and defensive equipment to Ukraine. But amid fears of an escalation with Russia's nuclear power, NATO members have made it clear they will not send troops to join the fight. The Ukrainian government is seeking a NATO no-fly zone, which so far seems unlikely. As a non-NATO member, Ukraine, which is outnumbered and outgunned by Russia, is essentially on its own.
However, military analysts are surprised by the extent to which Ukrainians fighting alone have slowed down the Russian offensive. But as Russian forces intensify their bombardment of the country, firing missiles and dropping bombs on military and civilian targets, many fear the worst is yet to come.