• by Maarten Albarda , Featured Contributor, March 2, 2022

Over the years, I got to know quite a few colleagues and remained in touch even after most of us moved to new career challenges.

One of those people is Tetiana Lukyniuk. We share a double past. Both she and I worked for The Coca-Cola Company. And then we both worked for Anheuser-Busch InBev. She is an accomplished marketer and manager, and she held senior positions at Mars, Red Bull (Ukraine general manager) and now Kyivstar, the largest Ukrainian mobile network operator.

She is also invested in teaching others as chairwoman of the Teach for Ukraine Supervisory Board, and as visiting professor at the Kyiv School of economics. And she’s a wife and a mom of two girls.

Then the war happened. Last Monday, Feb. 28, she shared a post on Facebook, and I was very much moved by it. Because she is you and me. She lived her life, focused on family and career, and she was good at it. IS good at it. But now everything has changed. I asked Tetiana for permission to repost her Facebook post.

Please keep reading. And do what you can.

Monday, February 28:

Today is Monday and I am sure that you are back at your offices all over the world drinking your morning teas and coffees. It is not the case for us in Ukraine.

I am writing this post 700 km away from my home in Kyiv which I had to run from with my kids to avoid the bombs from Russia and Belarus. Many of you have wrote me and asked if my family and I are OK. Well, I am very lucky to have access to internet, food and water.

BUT WE ARE NOT OK!

Our kids sleep in their clothing to be ready in case air raid alarm goes.

[My company's] marketing communication manager is right in the middle of the war act, spending already four nights in the cellars, underground parking lots and subways stations.

My HR business partner is now locked for three days in her home outside of Kyiv without electricity, communications, and access to the roads as they are demolished.

Guys, just think about it: this all happens in a European country to well-educated people in XXI century because the Russian government decided that they want it.

WE ARE NOT OK. UKRAINE IS NOT OK.

And you can help. Your governments are very conservative in helping us to fight Russian occupation. As we are businesspeople, and we like benchmarks and comparisons, please just compare the size of Russia attacking Ukraine. I hope you will get some understanding of what's going on.

But you have the power -- your governments are listening to you. Please support us. You can:

1. Go to the meetings in your cities to support Ukraine and make sure that your voices are heard by your government.

2. Sign the petition here to help protect us from the bombing.

3. Help our army. The National Bank of Ukraine has opened a special account to raise funds for the Ukrainian Army. Anyone from any country can donate!

The easiest way is here.

The account is multicurrency. It is opened for transfers of funds from anyone, international partners and donors, as well as from Ukrainian business and citizens.

#helpukraine