The War in Ukraine: What You Should Know and What You Can Do

On February 24th, 2022, Russia officially declared war against Ukraine and launched an attack on the Ukrainian people.

4:59 am on February 24 was the last minute of peace and restful sleep for Ukrainian citizens. A moment later, residents of Kyiv, Lutsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, and multiple other cities all over the largest country in Europe woke up to explosions.

The Russian military is now fighting a full-scale war across Ukrainian territory.

Airports, military objects, and infrastructure are being destroyed by Russian aggression. Residential areas, peaceful neighborhoods, and ordinary citizens are being attacked by Russian military forces.

On March 1, the Russian army destroyed the main square in the city of Kharkiv, which is 200 kilometers away from Dnipro, where Clockwise Software is based.

This is our statement on the war in Ukraine and Russian aggression against our homeland.

We stand with Ukraine. We want Russian troops to leave our country immediately. 

In this text, you will find answers to questions that may bother you in these tough times.

What happened in Ukraine: a look at the last 8 years

In 2014, the Revolution of Dignity took place in Ukraine. The Ukrainian people fought for democracy and human rights and won; unfortunately, Russia occupied the Donbas region and annexed the Crimean peninsula.

For eight years, the Ukrainian army has been protecting our borders, and Ukrainians across the entire territory of Ukraine under the control of the Ukrainian government lived in peace.

The situation started to escalate at the end of 2021. Both Ukrainian and international organozations reported rising aggression from Russia towards Ukraine, its history, liberty, territories, borders, and actions.

On February 21, Russian president Vladimir Putin recognized the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics .Three days later, he declared war against Ukraine.

Today, we are getting used to living in a real war; the kind of war you may have seen in pictures or read about in books about World War II: ruined houses, bombarded squares, injured civilians trying to find their kids in the burning mess, children crying for help in a panicked crowd.

What are we doing now? The new routine for the Clockwise Software team

As we’re writing this article, the situation in the city of Dnipro is relatively safe, and the Clockwise Software team is investing every free minute in helping, volunteering, and supporting those in need.

• Financial support for our army

On February 24, we donated almost $16,000 to the Ukrainian army and defenders, and we keep on donating more every day. Besides that, we are providing financial support to local Dnipro organizations, volunteers, and hospitals, including the medical institution where victims and soldiers find professional care.

• Devoted volunteering

In times of war, financial support is not enough. This is why our colleagues in Dnipro, Kyiv, Lviv, Uzhhorod, and other cities have become part-time volunteers. We dedicate all our free time to volunteering. In Dnipro and Kyiv, we buy and deliver medications and military equipment to volunteers who then ship aid to the front lines. In Lviv and Uzhhorod, we volunteer for organizations that help refugees find new homes away from home. Our colleagues join territorial defense forces to stand against the enemy who is attacking our families and lives.

• Cybersecurity

The cyber world is our front line. At Clockwise Software, we do everything we can to prevent online fraud and the spread of misinformation. Russian hackers brutally attack online channels of our officials and Ukrainian media. Our engineers dedicate their tech skills to fight in the digital war and withstand the aggressor.

We react instantly, initiate and join peaceful demonstrations, participate in charity auctions, try to do everything we can, and pray for our country to remain an independent and safe place to live and work.

How is the war in Ukraine impacting our ongoing projects?

At this moment, the situation in Dnipro and other cities where Clockwise Software specialists are based is relatively stable and safe, and thus the war is hardly interrupting our work routine.

• We keep on working

All our specialists keep investing their time, effort, and skills in their daily tasks. Our projects are not suspended: our engineers keep on creating app interfaces, logic and architecture; our testers never stop making sure that created functionality meets the requirements; our managers supervise all ongoing projects. The Clockwise Software People Team is involved in two main activities: hiring and onboarding new colleagues and making sure all our teammates are safe and healthy.

• We don’t stop delivering

Our workflow hasn’t changed much. We start our workdays with daily meetings, share updates on task progress, and ensure everyone’s safe and has everything they may need. We keep in touch with customers and partners as well. Our team will continue doing its best as long as we’re safe and have stable internet connections.

Our clients stay satisfied by the services we provide and appreciate our dediaction.

Feedback from our client on Clutch

Of course, we are interrupted by air raid alarms several times per day. But we try to get back to work and to our normal lives as soon as possible.

• We pay maximum effort to demonstrate high-level performance

These days, we stand for each other as never before. In case someone needs to take days off, has connection troubles, or decides to invest more time in volunteering, we quickly rearrange tasks and priorities to ensure that the team’s performance remains as high as possible in these conditions.

The health and safety of our colleagues is our highest priority.

The situation in the country is harsh and tense. These are four basic things we have implemented to keep our teammates protected:

1. Remote work

As the COVID-19 crisis started, we were forced to arrange our home offices and work remotely. These days, our home offices are happy to have us back. Still, we've needed to organize them in the most protected spots in our homes.

2. Relocation to safer regions or abroad

Clockwise Software teammates have an opportunity to move to the safest cities in Ukraine. We support them during the entire relocation procedure, help with finding rentals, and offer financial assistance.

3. Time off

February 24, 2022, was the hardest and the most terrifying day in our lives. Since then, focusing on work has become a challenge. Some of us need to take time off for a variety of reasons, and we encourage paying time and attention to personal needs, family, health, volunteering, and other activities besides work.

4. Mental health support

Our People Team has prepared contacts of specialists who can help us fight anxiety and depression in these tough times.

We support each other; we listen to each other. And we will withstand this war.

How can you support Ukraine?

How can I support Ukraine?

What can I do for you?

Do you need any help?

These are just a few of the questions we get from our foreign friends every single day.

We appreciate your help and support. In this section, we’ve collected five fundamental ways to help Ukraine and the entire democratic world to win this war.

1. Continue cooperation with your Ukrainian partners

There are more than 220,000 IT specialists in Ukraine.

By choosing to work with Ukrainian development companies, you directly support the Ukrainian economy.

In 2020, the share of the IT industry reached almost 5% of Ukrainian GDP, and it was expected to grow to 10% by 2025.

Our company officially pays taxes to the Ukrainian budget. This money is now significant for military and medical needs, and later will be critical for the reconstruction of destroyed cities.

Don’t stop cooperation with Ukrainian companies and don’t freeze ongoing projects because of the war. You may be concerned about the situation and worry about your team’s performance and project progress, but we assure you that in these terrible times, Ukrainian IT specialists will dedicate maximum effort to creating amazing products, attracting investments to our country, and showing the entire world that we have tremendous IT potential.

2. Provide financial and humanitarian aid

In this section, you can find links to verified organizations and accounts to send financial support and donations for the Ukrainian army and volunteers.

• Come Back Alive

This non-governmental, non-profit organization was founded by the IT specialist Vitaliy Deinega eight years ago, when Russia invaded Ukraine during the Revolution of Dignity. The organization’s key activities include providing military equipment for our soldiers, software training for the military, and psychological and medical help for our fighters and veterans.

You can find payment details on the Come Back Alive donation page and here:

Come Back Alive also accepts cryptocurrency donations.

Come Back Alive provides reports on their activity during the last eight years on their website, and you can check recent information if you’re interested.

• National Bank of Ukraine

The National Bank of Ukraine has opened a fundraising account to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Here’s how you can help from abroad.

Unlike Come Back Alive, this account accepts not only USD and EUR donations, but multiple other currencies.

There is an account for humanitarian aid as well. Donate if you would like to help Ukrainian refugees and citizens who have been injured by Russian terrorism in Ukraine.

• Razom for Ukraine

Registered as a legal entity in New York in 2014, Razom for Ukraine is a non-profit organization that supports multiple initiatives including medical training, healthcare delivery for Ukrainian children, work with veterans, and urgent help for Ukrainians in times of war. You can either join the team as a volunteer or donate using the most convenient method: send a bank transfer, donate with PayPal or a credit card, send a check, or donate cryptocurrency.

Have a glance at Razom for Ukraine’s annual reports to see if you would like to donate to this organization.

3. Share truth and verified information

Where can you find reliable information about the Russia and Ukraine war in 2022? Official social media pages of the Ukrainian government and the Armed Forces as well as social media accounts of the President of Ukraine, government ministers, and other government authorities broadcast the situation in real time.

• Volodymyr Zelensky on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
• Denys Shmygal, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, on Twitter
• Dmytro Kuleba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, on Twitter
• General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Facebook
• Security Service of Ukraine on Facebook
• Ukrainian Government on Facebook

You can follow our officials to get up to date information and contact your Ukrainian friends to find out first-hand details.

Suspilne is one of the most reliable media platforms that operates in Ukraine. On their Telegram channel and Twitter, you can find news and updates about the current situation in Ukraine, the course of the war, and details of the Russian invasion.

Besides these sources, established international media like The Guardian, the BBC, The New York Times, and others follow the Ukrainian war and share verified news.

There are several online media channels in Russian that you can check for updates from Ukraine, including Unian and TSN.

Due to the unbelievable amount of disinformation and active propaganda shared over Russian media, we recommend that you double-check news you get from unverified channels.

By spreading reliable information in your communities, companies, and environment, you help Ukraine to fight and win the information war.

4. Boycott Russian businesses

Force is the only language understood by Russia. And while we support the Ukrainian armed forces financially, we must also fight Russia financially to stop this war.

Apple, Ford, Nike, UPS, The Walt Disney Company, and multiple other global companies are stopping sales in Russia and leaving the Russian market.

If you are looking for ways to help Ukraine, boycott Russian businesses and products, avoid cooperation with Russian banks or companies, replace Russian products you’ve been buying, and minimize your contribution to the Russian economy.

5. Report suspicious accounts

The Russian web brigades, trolls, and bots are busy these days.

They share fake news, promote terrorism, and support Russian propaganda like never before. As Russian military forces attack Ukrainian infrastructure, schools, and hospitals, bots attack Ukrainian online communities and prevent truth from spreading across Russian media.

If you detect any suspicious activity or a suspicious account, or if you notice any fake comment or fraudulent link, please report and block it.

We are doing everything we can to protect our land, our neighborhoods, and our media, and we encourage you to help.