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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Trump backs a European reassurance force in Ukraine after a peace deal, writes WSJ. Plans for 30,000 European troops shrank to 6,000-10,000 from France and the UK.
But voters resist: 56% of Germans oppose, 68% of French reject deployment without a formal accord.
1/
Britain cut back because its army lacks manpower. Starmer says UK troops need a US backstop if Russia strikes.
Macron insists French soldiers will guard airports and infrastructure, not the front line. Yet Eastern NATO states refuse to pull forces from their own borders.
2/
Poland, a top donor of tanks, planes, and APCs to Ukraine, draws a red line: no troop deployment.
A March poll shows 58.5% of Poles strongly oppose sending troops, 28% probably not. Warsaw warns such a move risks dragging fighting into Polish territory.
3/
Trump: Ukraine likely thought they were going to win, trying to beat an enemy 15 times their size. Nobody goes into a war thinking they’re going to lose.
[Ukraine didn’t go into war. Russia invaded Ukraine]
1/
[Trump says US can impose sanctions or tariffs on Ukraine as well as on Russia]
Trump: If I can stop the death of people by doing sanctions or using a very strong tariff system that's very costly to Russia or Ukraine or whoever we have, you know.
2/
Q: Lavrov said Putin won’t sign a peace deal with Zelensky due to his illegitimacy. Did the Russians share this with your team?
Trump: Doesn’t matter what they say. Everybody’s posturing. It’s all bullshit.
Ukrainian soldier Stanislav Panchenko, 26, returned from 7 years of Russian captivity together with a cat Myshko.
The POWs had raised the kitten in Makiivka’s penal colony No. 32, and Stanislav refused to leave him behind, writes Ukrainska Pravda. 1/
Russian forces captured Panchenko in Donetsk in Jan 2019 and sentenced him to 17 years on fabricated charges. They transferred him from a Donetsk detention center to colony No. 32 in Makiivka. 2/
A prisoner working as the colony’s “quartermaster” brought in a tiny kitten. Men nursed it back to health.
First they thought it was female and named it Myshka, later discovering it was male — Myshko.
For 4,5 years the cat lived in the colony with dozens of Ukrainian POWs. 3/
Financial Times: The US will provide Ukraine with air & intel support. Postwar.
Trump says Washington will take part in “co-ordination” of European security guarantees, offering battlefield oversight as part of a security shield. 1/
The US is ready to provide “strategic enablers” — intelligence, surveillance, command & control, and air defense — if Europe deploys tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine.
А major shift from Trump’s prior refusal to back postwar Ukraine. 2/
European officials say deployments need US support to protect their troops. A UK-France-led “coalition of the willing” pledges to defend postwar Ukraine.
The US opposes sending its own forces, with some officials, including Defence Sec. Hegseth, skeptical. 3/
For the first time, ever, China welcomes Ukraine independence.
Bloomberg: Zelenskyy shared that Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory note on Ukraine's 34th Independence Day. China has never done it before. At least publicly.
1/
Xi expressed readiness to strengthen bilateral relations, but Chinese state media did not write about this.
2/
Xi's message came just ahead of Putin’s planned visit to China, underscoring the growing Russia-China partnership.
Zelenskyy rejected the idea of China as a security guarantor in peace talks, noting that China had not supported Ukraine when it was needed.