2022 is a year of deep grief and horror for Ukrainians, because of Russia’s full-scale invasion and war of aggression against our country. It conjures up painful memories of countless Ukrainians killed or tortured, and of villages, towns, and entire cities that Russia took over or destroyed.
Millions of Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes, while the nation witnessed the destruction of the country’s energy and logistics infrastructure. It was a time when we were confronted with the reality of genocide in our own nation.
It was a time when the world saw the incredible bravery of the Ukrainian people in the remarkable resistance and a series of stunning victories achieved on the battlefield. In response, Ukraine united and gripped by an unprecedented outpouring of volunteerism. Thousands of businesses, initially focused on survival amid the uncertainty of war, soon became ardent supporters of the Ukrainian military and those in need throughout Ukrainian society.
In 2022, normal business activities such as conducting assessment surveys became impossible. Instead, the focus shifted to volunteering, fighting, fundraising, and providing maximum support to friends and colleagues in the military to hospitals and the elderly. The top priority was to safeguard the nation and ensure every individual's right to life in safety.
In 2023 we resumed our tradition of conducting an annual Business Security Assessment, as established three years ago. The 2023 Security assessment of doing business in Ukraine is distinctive as it offers unprecedented insights into businesses operating during a full-scale war. The research was carried out by Sayenko Kharenko and SK Security in association with the European Business Association (EBA), supported by the Association of Corporate Security Professionals, ASIS Ukraine, and the Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FEU).
The findings reveal the distinctiveness of the present situation that businesses in Ukraine have to deal with. These involve disruption to ordinary business connections, the challenge to overcome the negative effects of the war, and the necessity to relocate from the east and south of the country to central or western Ukraine. The Assessment also remarks on the experience of Ukrainian businesses in successfully growing into Europe, opening new offices and launching production facilities, exploring logistics opportunities, and entering new markets.
Despite the extremely challenging business environment, Ukrainian businesses have managed to endure and even expand. Some have adapted by finding new markets or working with state institutions to address the needs of the defence sector.
The survey results from businesses in 2023 showed a significant change from the previous years of 2020 and 2021. In 2023, businesses had completely new concerns, with the top three all strongly linked to the war. This change indicates the effect of the war on Ukraine’s business environment.
Thank you to everyone who has found the time during this complicated time to explore the findings of our survey. I also appreciate the EBA team for their work in conducting this survey with us this year. Special thanks to the SK Security analytics team, whose diligent work made it possible to finalize the figures presented here. And lastly, I would like to extend my gratitude to all members of the business community who backed our research and
took part in this survey.
Sergiy Pogrebnoy is a partner at Sayenko Kharenko, co-owner of SK Security, chairman of the Supervisory Board of ASCP, and vice chair of the ASIS Ukraine chapter.
