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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A Russian soldier smashed 75 y.o. Ludmyla’s face with a rifle, slashed her stomach, and raped her.
Diplomats discuss “blanket amnesty” in the new peace plan.
To them it's a compromise. To Ukraine, it means pardoning the man who sliced open a grandmother — The Times. 1/
Filmmaker Alisa Kovalenko sees Ludmyla’s broken face reading the new “peace plan.” Alisa knows this hell. In 2014, a Russian officer forced her to strip and bathe.
He cleaned his gun, watched her naked fear, then raped her. “They didn’t kill me, but they broke me.” 2/
Iryna Dovhan, 63, was tied to a post in a town square, wrapped in a Ukrainian flag. Passers-by beat her and spat on her.
But the second blow came from the justice system.
A prosecutor refused to record her rape. He told her: "Your dignity has been compromised." 3/
Putin has lost over 1 million soldiers killed or wounded in Ukraine, but is winning something bigger.
FP columnist Michael Hirsh argues that after nearly four years of war, Putin has succeeded in his core goal: exposing deep fractures inside what used to be called “the West.” 1/
Militarily, Russia failed.
After nearly four years of war, Putin controls only 20% of Ukrainian territory, failed to erase Ukrainian statehood and triggered NATO’s expansion with Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.
This is not a battlefield victory. 2/
But Putin’s strategic objective was broader.
From the start, he bet that NATO unity would fracture under pressure.
Today, the U.S. and Europe openly clash over Ukraine, peace terms, Russia’s role, and even the meaning of “the West.” 3/
Zelenskyy: Russia says either Ukraine leaves Donbas, or Russia will occupy it anyway.
The US proposed a compromise: our troops withdraw and Russian ones don’t enter, but we won’t accept this without mutual withdrawal - Babel. 1/
Zelenskyy: If Ukrainian troops withdraw 5-10 km, why shouldn’t Russian troops withdraw the same distance? There’s no answer yet, and it’s very sensitive. 2/
Zelenskyy: I’ve told American partners many times: don’t believe everything Russia says. Russia is trying to occupy our land not by force, but politically and diplomatically. 3/
Russia failed to take Ukrainian land by force and now pressures US to make Kyiv give it up politically.
Syrskyi: Russian manuals call 1.5-3 km per day a breakthrough, but troops move 1.5-4.5 km per month. At this pace, Russia needs years to take the land it wants, Bloomberg. 1/
Putin is trying to sell a narrative to Trump's circle that Ukraine is losing, using small territorial gains to force a settlement.
He seeks a deal that weakens Ukraine militarily and leaves the option to resume the invasion later. 2/
Syrskyi rejects Russian claims of taking Pokrovsk. Russia sent 170,000 troops and fought for more than a year but seized only part of the city.
Ukrainian forces control 13 of 29 km² and maintain their position. Russian units failed to encircle the garrison or cut logistics. 3/
Suffocation with plastic bags, electric shocks to the genitals, broken fingers, needles driven under fingernails and forced removal of pro-Ukrainian tattoos.
In Russian detention centers and prisons, this is called a “gentleman’s kit” — United24 cites a report by Memorial. 1/
Almost all Ukrainians released from Russian captivity report systematic torture, humiliation, and a complete lack of medical care.
These abuses are not isolated incidents but a routine part of detention. 2/
In January 2025, Memorial’s monitoring mission conducted 40 interviews with former POWs, civilian hostages, witnesses, and families of victims.
The research covered 8 regions of Ukraine and focused on war crimes committed after Russia’s full-scale invasion. 3/