When the war began, Russia cut off fuel supplies to Ukraine and attacked oil storage and stations. At that point, Ukraine had less than two weeks' worth of fuel.
Here's a story of a company that adapted, survived, and ensured Ukraine's essential fuel supply 1/
OKKO, now a market leader, has flourished under the new CEO Vasyl Danylyak, a personal friend of mine, guiding it through wartime transformation.
Today, at the Kyiv School of Economics we're publicly discussing for the first time the case we have written about OKKO 2/
But the story of the company is that of people
When the missiles struck on day one, OKKO's managers didn't abandon their jobs, but acted. With the Russians everywhere, they checked on their teams and prepared evacuation plans 3/
The case highlights manager Olena, who asked her colleagues, "Can I count on you?" and everyone answered yes
I still get emotional recalling those days. That type of determination was everywhere; people had families to save but wouldn't abandon their jobs 4/
But some people did flee. At Andriy's station near Kyiv, only 3 people stayed. Andriy, however, took charge of 2 sites, running between two sites through war-torn streets to oversee operations. "As we focused on our duties, customers calmed," he recalls 5/
Iryna, near the shelled Chernihiv, took charge of 4 stations, fueling the military defending the city. "We are not afraid!" she declared. Though without an official title, she led
Chernhiv later was encircled by the Russians but never fallen 6/
By keeping stations open, OKKO teams kept Ukraine moving. “That our reality now,” Oleksandra thought
Despite the risks, they served customers with positivity, still remembering - I kid you not - to say OKKO's values: "Service with a smile." 7/
Across OKKO, exceptional teams banded together, communicating constantly to adapt. Lawyers & marketers ran stations. Drivers risked their lives delivering fuel. Some died.
Everyone became everyday heroes. Later OKKO created a campaign “Our Heroes” to tell their stories 8/
I could discuss the company's strategy and changes in supply chain management, including finding new suppliers worldwide and bargaining over shipping slots to keep the country running. 9/
I witnessed oil depots attacked and oil tankers driving at night through hidden routes to evade Russian surveillance.
But I think the story is people! Thank you for being human! 10X
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Margus Tsahkna: Putin cannot stop the war in Ukraine – for him, it’s existential;
Putin is a “warlord” committed to restoring the Soviet empire, and Ukraine is fighting for all of Europe, interview to @KyivIndependent 1/
Europe must step up – the continent has the resources and must assume leadership in Ukraine's defense, even if the U.S. hesitates; the EU is close to delivering €40 billion in aid this year 2/
Sanctions remain key – Estonia is pushing for the 18th EU sanctions package and the confiscation of €240 billion in frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction 3/
Russia has built a sophisticated method to evade sanctions and launder capital through beans into Europe, Kyiv Insider
Russia’s Sberbank, despite being disconnected from SWIFT and under sanctions, transfers funds into the EU using Revolut and N26 1/
These transactions go unnoticed or appear as regular personal transfers - a deliberate, layered workaround that undermines the sanctions regime 2/
The transfer scheme relies on intermediaries in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Rubles are sent to these jurisdictions, converted into cryptocurrency, and then rerouted through payment providers to reach EU accounts
The process masks the origin and nature of the money 3/
Trump: We just signed a deal with China. Other countries will pay us tariffs – 25%, 35%, and even 45%.
We’re working on a deal with India. We're opening markets that were never open before. 1/
Trump: We're passing border legislation in Congress.
It will add 3,000 Border Patrol agents and 10,000 ICE officers. These heroes backed me from day one. Now we’re giving them the tools to secure our border. 2/
Trump: U.S. should have the lowest costs, not the highest.
Congress called me confused: We’re bringing in a way more money than expected. I said, sounds like a good problem. 3/
Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina, killed by a Russian missile, won a 2025 Orwell Prize for a book Looking at Women Looking at War.
In Trostianets, she interviewed a woman who survived a Russian execution: shot at, thrown in a pit, awoke under two dead bodies, the Guardian. 1/
In Izium, Amelina documented graves at the central cemetery. One note reads: Site 319. Woman ~50. Hands tied. Plastic bag over head. No name. Ask Sasha if she can identify.
She recorded dozens of such sites working with investigators. 2/
In Kharkiv, a librarian led her to a basement shelter lined with Soviet encyclopedias.
Woman said: We used them during shelling – they were printed on better paper.