While we were disappointed to discuss this last week, we’re even more frustrated that the situation in Ukraine has continued to unfold, leaving it top of mind for all of us this week. We’re deeply saddened to hear reports of Putin’s ongoing invasion and our hearts go out to everyone in Ukraine impacted by this terrible tragedy.
In lieu of memes and funny news this week, we’d like to dedicate this newsletter to the brave soldiers and civilians fighting to protect their homeland, those injured in recent attacks, and the families of all involved.
If you’re not familiar with the situation unfolding, these episodes of The Daily from The New York Times are a good starting point.
Ukrainian Tech Around the Globe
Mike Sapiton, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Ukraine, shared a Twitter thread highlighting the many Ukrainian immigrants and citizens that have contributed to the modern tech sphere.
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely used at least one of the inventions created by Ukrainian minds:
- WhatsApp: Founded by Ukrainian immigrant Jan Koum.
- PayPal & Affirm: Cofounded by Ukrainian immigrant Max Levchin.
- Grammarly: A $13 billion company founded by three Ukrainians. Their main dev office is based in Kyiv.
- People.ai: A predictive sales management platform used by many Fortune 500 companies created by Ukrainian-native Oleg Roginskiy.
Organizations Making a Difference for Individuals Impacted
While we’re pleased to see organizations like Apple halting sales in Russia, we’re inspired by the efforts of Starlink and Airbnb to support individuals in Ukraine.
Last Saturday, Elon Musk announced that Starlink service was active in Ukraine, with more terminals en route. In tune with his cheeky personality, Musk responded to a Russian politician’s complaints about the shipment of units via Twitter, stating himself “Ukraine civilian Internet was experiencing strange outages – bad weather perhaps? – so SpaceX is helping fix it.”
Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, has also made big moves to support those in Ukraine. Earlier this week, Chesky announced that Airbnb would help to house up to 100,000 refugees displaced by the crisis.
Make a Difference from Afar
No matter where you live, you can support on-the-ground efforts in Ukraine by donating to these organizations. Some of these charities have begun accepting cryptocurrency donations as well as bank transfers.
Other News
- Kyiv hospitals are supported with tonnes of varenyky — Ukrainian dumplings, called varenyky, are similar to their Polish cousin, the pierogi. Residents of villages near Kyiv have reportedly donated 2.5 tons of varenyky to feed individuals in the hospital. If you’d like to bring some Ukrainian culture into your home this weekend, consider whipping up a batch of potato varenyky. Don’t forget the caramelized onions!
- Donations of women’s sanitary products Ukrainians in Poland – Over 120 boxes of women’s sanitary products have been donated to help individuals displaced due to the war.
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