Since the start of the full-scale invasion, russian forces have launched more than 4,700 rockets. Most of them were aimed at civilian infrastructure in order to create difficult living conditions during the winter cold. Civilians face problems with water supply, constant power cuts and other difficulties. Attacks on the civilian energy structure have no effect on the state of affairs at the front. These strikes are aimed at undermining the situation inside the country, because the Russian troops are not successful.
However, the people of Ukraine are well aware of the Kremlin's plans. Freedom is very expensive, and the Ukrainian people are ready to pay this price, because it is about survival.
“We are ready to live without light, without heat, without water - the main thing is to live without you.”
IT Sector Keeps Ukrainian Economy Afloat
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the IT services market in Ukraine has grown by 20-25%. Also, Ukraine remains the leader in Eastern Europe among software providers and development outsourcing. The developed IT sphere allowed the country's economy to survive the pandemic and even strengthen its position. According to the IT Ukraine Association, the tech sector is one of the top three exporters of services, making a very significant contribution (more than 30% of total exports). According to Beetroot forecasts, by 2025 the IT market can receive more than $8.4B dollars for the export of its services.
Despite the treacherous invasion of the invaders in 2022, the IT sector continues to support the country's economy not only with taxes, but also with additional allocation of funds to charity. On average, one Haitian donates $270 to charity, according to the DOU survey. At least 203,000 people from the industry will benefit, according to IT Research Resilience. According to a rough calculation, the total amount can reach $55 million in monthly donations.
Will Ukrainian IT Specialists Cope with Blackouts?
At the moment, about 30% of the entire energy system of Ukraine is working properly. To cope with the load on the power grid, a schedule of hourly power outages was created. The import tax on generators and energy carriers was also abolished to make it easier for businesses to adapt to new conditions. Software development companies have approached the problem of power outages very seriously, because their contribution to the country is very important. Some of the software vendors have relocated to European countries in order to be able to work. Others bought Starlinks, generators and batteries.
Also, in many cities, co-working spaces were equipped, where, on average, for $ 5 a day, you can get access to electricity, the Internet and cookies. In the most extreme case, you can recharge your battery or power bank in the “Points of Unbrokenness”, where you always have access to everything you need for free.
At Owlab, our employees always have access to the internet and electricity thanks to the installation of Starlink and their own generators. Our company operates almost entirely on self-sufficiency, like most businesses. For the software development company, solving problems with electricity has become a key task today.
What Role Did Modern Technology Play In This War
Our people have united against a common threat, because it really is about survival. Business is looking for every opportunity to work within the country and produce goods for export. The IT sector develops applications for the army that help to conduct combat operations more effectively. Cyber troops also do not sit still and make a great contribution to our victory, you can learn more about this by reading our article “The impact of the cyberwar”.
And while this is not the war of the future that films and video games were made about, technology plays a very important role. For example, the application "Kropyva" (nettle) is used by 90–95% of artillerymen. Thanks to the development, the deployment time of the artillery battery was reduced by five times, the time to hit an unplanned target was reduced by almost three times, and the time to open counter-battery fire was reduced by 10 times compared to Soviet computing machines. There are also applications that allow you to quickly coordinate the actions of different types of troops, which increases the effectiveness of combat operations.
All this is possible thanks to Starlink, which gives access to the Internet in combat conditions. Therefore, no matter how scandalous things Elon Musk says, we appreciate his contribution to our victory.
