"My top priority is the safety of my family"

Oleksandr, first of all, how are you and your family doing and where are you at the moment?

When the war started I grabbed my wife and children and fled across the border, just before the announcement that all men between the ages of 16 and 60 must stay according to the martial law act declared by our Government and President the next day. For just over a month, I have been in Genoa, Italy, together with my family. With the great support of my colleagues here, we have been able to overcome the first phase of shock and desperation. Still, this is a big stress, especially for my wife and my two daughters, two and nine years old. My eldest keeps asking when she will be able to rejoin her friends back home in Odessa, to return to school and friends. At the moment, she is taking part in online lessons – in which every morning a minute of remembrance is dedicated to our fallen soldiers and civilians. My first priority is the safety of my family. It was not easy for me to leave my country and home behind.

Are our colleagues who are still in Ukraine safe and sound?

Our entire team is connected; we exchange information weekly about the current situation in Ukraine and the situation of the individual team members. So far, all colleagues are well. Fourteen out of 20 of our colleagues are still in Ukraine – many of them in Odessa or near the European border. At this time, there are no fully secured locations. However, the current locations are safer than other parts of the country in the east or northeast of Ukraine, such as Mariupol, Kiev and Kharkiv.

Can you describe the current situation in Ukraine from your perspective?

War in full scale. The bombing of cities, especially civilian infrastructure objects, the effective resistance of the Ukrainian military, and the hatred fed by propaganda that in my personal opinion I would describe as genocide of our nation.

What are your personal experiences since the beginning of the invasion?

First, I feel the deepest disappointment because every day I witness the suffering of ordinary people, women, and children. Aggression towards the weakest of us, with a cruelty that is unparalleled. Nevertheless, I also have the deepest respect for our armed forces and defenders, and the hope this madness ends very soon.

There is a worldwide solidarity movement - how do you experience it?

I went to Genoa by car, crossed five countries together with my family within four days, and everywhere I experienced the support of ordinary people for Ukrainians. For me there is no big difference between Ukrainians, Slovenians, Italians – We all have families, jobs, and hobbies; our kids are going to school. We were torn from our daily lives. The lives of 40 million people in the middle of Europe were destroyed by the cruelty and sick ambition of a group of people from the East. This is terrifying and it can happen in any other country. I believe this can be stopped only with the solidarity and unity of all of us.

Several relief campaigns have been launched within the Hapag-Lloyd family. What do you think about this?

We are receiving as much support as possible. We are proud to be part of the Hapag-Lloyd family and thank all employees sincerely. I was honestly shocked at the level of support we received. My family, my colleagues, and I were able to experience firsthand how the value "We care" is lived.

What additional support can we give you?

The support my colleagues and receive is more than enough, and we are sincerely grateful for it. I can only appeal to continue in this way, as we are not the only ones experiencing grief. Millions of people are in hard-to-reach regions or on the run in and outside our homeland.

What would be your message to our Hapag-Lloyd family?

We are all human beings and of course, deep understanding only comes when it concerns your country, your home, and your future. Although these terrible events are far away from many countries and people who are supporting us, it seems that we are not alone. Your kindness and your support are a ray of hope that helps us to overcome these terrible events. Thank you for that.