• by Dave Morgan , Featured Contributor, February 1, 2024

I’m headed back to Ukraine next week, traveling to Kyiv and Lviv to meet with new team members, business leaders, government officials and entrepreneurs, hoping to help create jobs, business and start-ups in a country that very much needs our help right now.

Businesses around the world need to help Ukraine and stop Putin, particularly as the war drags on, as more people lose their lives, homes and jobs, and as the support of some politicians and militaries around the world show signs of fatigue. What we do in Ukraine matters; it matters a lot.

As Angus King, the Independent U.S. Senator from Maine, reminded us in a speech on the Senate floor yesterday, if Europe and the U.S. had stood up to Hitler in Sudetenland in 1938, “[W]e could have stopped a murderous dictator who was bent on geographic expansion…at a relatively low cost. The result of not doing so was 55 million deaths.”

What can you do?

Call your representatives and senators. Tell them you want them to support more military and economic help for Ukraine. Nothing gets politicians' attention like constituent calls, emails and letters. They know that constituent call ratios on issues are the bellwether for future election support.

Hire in Ukraine. If you need technology help, hire that help in Ukraine. Whether you open an office there, as my company has, or work with one of the incredible IT services firms like DataArt, Sigma and SoftServe that are based there, the talent of technology workers in Ukraine is extraordinary, and really stands out in areas like AI, which is so critical for everyone in our industry today.

Help Ukraine win the Information War. Defeating Putin will take more than just missiles, planes, tanks and drones. This is a real-time Information (and Disinformation) War too. I highly recommend following and financially supporting the work of CFC Big Ideas, a Ukrainian strategic communication firm supporting the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine.

Reach out to friends, colleagues, and acquaintances in Ukraine. I am in awe of the people of Ukraine. Their resilience, focus and commitment is off the charts. However, as resilient as they are, it’s tough over there right now, particularly with so much uncertainty over future U.S. military support and plans for significant troop mobilization. A text, email or call to let friends, colleagues, and acquaintances in Ukraine know you care can make a big difference.

As Senator King said in his speech yesterday, “This is a historic struggle between authoritarianism, arbitrariness, surveillance, and the radical idea that people can govern themselves. That's what this is all about. This is a battle for the soul of our democracy in the world…. It's worth fighting for. And in this case we don't even have to do the fighting. We just have to supply the arms and ammunition.”

Don’t sit on the sidelines. History (and your children and grandchildren) won’t treat you well if you don’t do your part today.