Ukrainian Sergey develops AF's website

"My workdays go as usual. I take a shower, eat breakfast, check my calendar, and start working," says Sergey. 

He works in the Norwegian branch of the IT company Knowit. Knowit is responsible for the development and operation of AF Gruppen's website, and Sergey is part of the team that follows up on this. 

A major development project has demanded significant capacity over the past months. AF Gruppen is introducing a solution in the website editing system that allows multiple companies within the group to use the same publishing system for their websites. 

February 24 marked three years since Russia invaded Ukraine. Almost all NATO member countries reacted by imposing severe sanctions on Russia and providing weapons support to Ukraine. 

Since then, Ukrainians have lived with the war. Via video link, Donskoy says they have gotten used to it. 

"In the beginning, I was scared, but eventually, you learn how far away the explosions are. If they are 20 kilometers away, it's nothing to worry about. I am of course tired and notice the war, as many people do. What is not good is due to permanent air alarms people eventually started to neglect basic safety rules like going to nearest shelter, the two walls rule or at least not to be outside.” 
 
Kharkiv is Ukraine’s second biggest city and is located near the Russian border. The city and the and the region are among the most affected parts of the country. Because of the war, Donskoy moved out of the city centre. He describes his neighbourhood as more or less okay with regard to the security situation and emphasizes that many people are worse off than he is. 
 
"I am lucky. I have a job and a family. Many have it much worse than I do," says Donskoy. 

Thomas Vårdal is a senior advisor and project manager at Knowit. He has four developers in Ukraine on his team. Sergey holds the position of tech lead. 

Vårdal says that the developers in Ukraine make up a digital consulting company without an office. He describes the developers as a fantastic group who make the best of the situation their country is in. 

"Even though they are in the middle of the war and work with generators while explosions happen around them, they still deliver five days a week," says Vårdal. 

"In the very beginning, they didn't know what was going to happen and where the explosions would occur. They worked a lot from bomb shelters and were not as available. Now it's a completely different everyday life, more business as usual. If the power goes out during a meeting, most have a generator that kicks in. Then they rejoin the meeting. That things are unstable has become part of everyday life," he says. 

Donskoy says he has a well-equipped home office. In addition, he has a solar panel system and a battery pack that can supply him with power for six to eight hours if the power goes out. 

Ukrainian men between 25 and 60 years old can be mobilized for the country's defense. People with critical societal jobs are exempt from this, says Donskoy. The developers working for Knowit belong to this group. 

Everyday life is busy for Donskoy and his colleagues, but weekends can be slow. There is little to do, and you can't go out in the same way as in a normal situation. 

Donskoy finds it difficult to answer what he thinks about the future. 

"I don't know. The future is not so clear. I hope at least that at some point the hostilities will end, and that they find a diplomatic solution."