Thread by @Mylovanov

Good morning. Day 281 of the war. There has not been an attack on Kyiv for 8 days. We now get electricity several times a day for several hours. It feels luxurious. My tweeter diary entry today is about the Ukrainian Railways. They are true heroes. @AKamyshin 1/

Alexander Kamyshin, CEO of UR, is a true leader and inspiration for me and many in Ukraine today. UR has not stopped working for an hour during the war. They evacuated millions of people under shelling, they kept trains on time and opened new connections, and turned train 2/

stations into centers of life that serve as places where people can shelter, shop, meet, eat, get medical help, and of course travel. This is a lifeline that connects Ukraine throughout and with the outside world. Alexander took me on a tour of the Kyiv main station 3/

KSE has presented the Ukrainian Railways with an award that recognizes their resilience and support to people and economy during the war. The selfie above was taken by Alexander when we gave the award. It was in the business lounge of the main train station at 9 pm yesterday 4/

Alexander took me around the station. The first video above show that train platform and a train that is about to depart to Koval in the West of Ukraine. The second video shows the main hall of the train station, security checkpoint, a gift and arts shop, etc 5/

I was particularly impressed with their “fortress of resilience”. This is large hall / shelter in which people can rest and get warm. There is even a place for infants. You can get food there through World Food Kitchen. Here is a picture of Julia who leads WFC in 🇺🇦 6/

There are wooden stoves in the hall, firewood, water, supplies. They are ready for any kind of blackout. The fortress can shelter 500-1000 of people. They even have minibuses that can drive people home or go get supplies if needed. 7/

There are USAID supplied blankets; btw, UR ships them in thousands through the country; serving as a distributor. There are even chemical heating pads for hands so people can get warm faster, especially kids, if they spent a lot of time in the cold outside. 8/

In the station, there are also shops operating 24/7. Here is quick video of one. 9/

This is how a ticket hall looks. No lines. Clean, warm. 10/

They are constantly upgrading and i@proving. Here, for example, is an accessible ticket window. It opens soon. The information booth is also accessible. A pet of it is leveled in such a way that kids can see over the counter and speak easier with the UR staff. 11/

There is a modern storage facility when you can leave your bags. You can pay by credit card. Safety is ensured by check points at the entry into the train station. 12/

There are QR codes everywhere to provide feedback on the quality of service 13/

One challenge for the UR, especially in the beginning of the war, is to handle large numbers of people, tens of thousands. Not a single person died because of stampede. Here is the person responsible for the design and management of the crowds as well as many other things. 14/

The train stations are also a place for people to meet and reconnect during the war. I almost cried when I saw a civilian meeting and hugging a soldier. I think they are relatives and the solider just came back from the front. I did not ask. 15/

This is me outside of the train station. I was honored to see how it works and have a quick tour. My respect for the Ukrainian Railways has only grown. They are an inspiration for me. I am an economist and we teach that private business is superior to state owned companies. 16/

Here is one very specific counter example. We want to do a business case on the UR. If you are a good at writing business cases and interested, please contact me. We might also want to do a join leadership course. And, at the bed, my usual plea - please support us if you can

https://twitter.com/Mylovanov/status/1596256360232108034