It’s been more than 20 days since Putin’s Russia attacked the sovereign country of Ukraine 🇺🇦 and I still find it difficult to accept this. I’m a Pole 🇵🇱 and my country is bordering with Ukraine as well as Russia and Belarus (which is under Putin’s rule). I can’t fathom that 83 years after the start of World War II our freedom, that we took for granted, is about to be gone again. I’m so proud of my Ukrainian brothers and sisters as they defend their country! Here’s a video I recorded to my team and to Nozbe users about it and below that my additional thoughts on the subject:
What is Nozbe doing about this awful war?
I believe that every gesture counts and all of them compound. Here’s what we’ve started with:
- In 2022 we are giving free yearly Nozbe accounts to all Ukrainians - people, companies and organizations from Ukraine 🇺🇦 to hopefully help them re-build their country. If necessary we’ll extend this offer beyond this year. We’ll see.
- In the same way we’re also giving free Nozbe accounts to all organizations coordinating Ukraine relief efforts and fighting disinformation on the Internet. The fundamental difference between Ukraine and Russia or Belarus is that Ukraine was and is a free democratic country, while the other two are being ruled by ruthless autocrats. Their citizens follow their leaders blindly so we must help them finally see the truth.
- We’re also supporting Ukraine relief efforts financially dedicating our charity fund to it.
How is Nozbe sanctioning Russia and Belarus?
We have cut off Nozbe for Russia and Belarus as a result of their attack on Ukraine as of last Friday, March 18 2022.
This was a tough decision. I have many friends in Russia. As a company we’ve invested a lot in Russia by translating our home page and app to Russian. We’ve had lots of Nozbe customers from Russia over the years.
However we can’t be bystanders here. Together with the EU, UN and many companies cutting their ties with Russia, we’re joining them and sanctioning Russia in the only way we can.
We’re not refunding Russian customers. With today’s sanctions on Russian banks it would have been impossible technically anyway.
Symbolically, I’ve calculated all the money our Russian customers have paid us over the last year and today I’m sending it to the Ukraine relief efforts by PAH and to smaller ogranizations that organize things for Ukrainian refugees.
I’m hoping for the future when this war is over and our Russian customers will be back and then I’ll re-enable them access to Nozbe, also respecting their paid-for Nozbe status as of March 18, 2022. I sincerely hope we can be friends again in a free world.
- My full statement in Russian 🇷🇺
- English 🇺🇸 translation of my statement
- Polish 🇵🇱 translation of my statement
What I’m doing personally to help Ukraine?
As a Pole and a brother to Ukraine 🇺🇦 I’m helping in many ways, trying to get relief efforts organized in my home town, on the border, procuring supplies for Ukrainian refugees and helping them find a shelter in our country of Poland 🇵🇱 that already took more than 2 Million people in. #UnitedWithUkraine
In a week we’ll be having a Nozbe Reunion in the city of Lublin, which is only 80km away from the Ukrainian border and we’ll be also involved in helping in any way we can.
What I’m doing to stay sane?
In the face of a war, everything we do seems meaningless. But it’s not. We have to keep on living, working and planning our future in a free society. We can’t give in to the hatred and lunacy of Russian’s Putin.
In the following months my plan is to keep working to promote Nozbe, finally finish launching my #NoOffice book and on this blog write about things that bring me joy - gadgets, home office changes and other things like that.
My goal is to enjoy the little things I have now while being mindful that I can lose it all in a blink of an eye.
This war motivates me even more to appreciate the things I have that bring me joy every day.
P.S. Please watch a message from Arnold Schwarzenegger for Russians
I think, Arnie said it best, how I feel about cutting off my Russian friends and customers. I feel awful about this, but just like him, I’m hoping the Russian nation will wake up and stop this war: