As the war in Ukraine marks its third year, its toll spares no one. The IT industry, like every other part of Ukrainian society, has become a direct witness to the brutal realities of the Russian aggression.
The case of IT professional Iryna Gorobtsova is a stark example. On May 13, 2022, Russian soldiers broke into her home in Kherson, armed with sledgehammers, calling her parents “Nazis” as they seized her laptop and phones. An IT specialist and volunteer, she had been helping residents with food and medicine.
Now, she is illegally imprisoned in Simferopol, where Russian investigators are forcing her to confess to crimes she never committed. And this doesn’t stop here, as there are countless cases like those of Gorobtsova – many IT professionals have been forced to either flee their homes, continue working under the constant threat of missile strikes, or, in the worst cases, endure persecution.
Tackling uncertainty head-on
Ability AI is a Ukrainian startup that was itself born during the war, in 2023. Founded by serial entrepreneur Eugene Vyborov and his co-founder Alex Osypenko, the company specializes in autonomous AI agents that automate the entire marketing cycle, from strategy and content creation to media buying and analytics. The platform helps businesses seamlessly develop, launch, and optimize digital marketing campaigns for faster setup and better results.
Like many Ukrainian startups, Ability AI has had to navigate extreme uncertainty. Vyborov highlights the impact of geopolitical tensions, especially the latest U.S.-Russia negotiations on how to end the war.
“Current geopolitical tensions are the direct result of countries becoming more and more protectionist, prioritizing their own interests over the collective democratic values of the wider group. This shift makes the game increasingly zero-sum. Figures like Donald Trump act as agents of chaos, introducing additional uncertainty for everyone, including startups already struggling with instability,” Vyborov tells IT Logs.
For Ukrainian startups, unpredictability is an everyday reality. Many have employees working near the front lines. “In much more practical terms, most Ukrainian startups have employees situated in Ukraine, sometimes not too far from the front lines. The longer the war continues, the more likely it is that people will be affected every day,” Vyborov notes.
In response, startups are also taking proactive steps: hiring globally, relocating employees from high-risk zones, securing digital assets in politically stable jurisdictions, and diversifying financial and operational resources across multiple countries.
“When unpredictability rises, diversification is key,” he emphasizes. “Hoping for the best isn’t enough. Companies must have plans B, C, D, and beyond, ensuring they can remain operational under adverse conditions.”
Despite these challenges, Ukrainian AI startups continue to push forward. With massive investments in AI coming from U.S. Big Tech and China, Vyborov sees both challenges and opportunities.
“The question remains whether access to foundational AI models will become restricted to a few dominant players. However, as long as access is open, startups will have significant opportunities to leverage these models and solve real-world problems at scale,” he points out.
Aiding resilience efforts through different initiatives
Beyond individual startups like Ability AI, broader industry initiatives have played a crucial role in supporting the country’s resilience.
Marking three years since the war began, Stepan Veselovskyi, CEO of Lviv’s IT Cluster, reflects on the challenges Ukraine has endured during this period. “For three years, Ukrainians have faced the devastating impacts of Russia’s full-scale aggression. This time has brought many struggles: power outages, nights spent in shelters, and farewells to loved ones. Yet, we continue to fight and demonstrate our strength,” Veselovskyi says.
Despite these hardships, Ukraine’s IT community has come together. “Today, I want to remind everyone that despite all the challenges, we are strong when standing together,” Veselovskyi emphasizes. Since the war began, Lviv IT Cluster has launched a series of Victory Projects aimed at bringing Ukraine closer to victory.
These initiatives include delivering critical equipment to defenders, assisting in the reconstruction of damaged buildings, and strengthening the effectiveness of the country’s air defense systems. By setting such examples of resilience, Ukraine’s tech community refuses to stand still, even as the war still continues to test the nation’s strength.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian minister for digital transformation Mykhailo Fedorov posted an interesting question, and at the same time a warning: What if Putin were to declare a “special military operation” against NATO?
“Today, it sounds like an impossible scenario. But three years ago, a full-scale war in the heart of Europe and missile strikes on Kyiv also seemed unthinkable. If Russia is given the chance, it will continue building its empire – not just on Ukrainian territory but across Europe and the world.”
