Business Under Attack: How Ukrainian Enterprises Can Survive Under Russian Attacks

Co-founder of Epicentr, the head of the Ministry of Economy, as well as representatives of the NBU, the Verkhovna Rada, and business discussed mechanisms to support domestic enterprises against the backdrop of systemic missile and drone strikes.

In Kyiv, the fifth meeting of the initiative “Epicentr of Manufacturers” took place — a joint project of Epicentr and LB Talks, aimed at discussing the key challenges of Ukrainian business. Opening the event, co-founder of Epicentr K, Galyna Heraha, noted that under current conditions Ukrainian business needs state support more than ever.

“Now is the time when we cannot cope without state support, without preferential lending. Entrepreneurs critically need financial instruments to rebuild destroyed facilities and resume operations. We are losing people and jobs. In the last month alone, as the attacks on business have been particularly severe, we have lost 7000 jobs. For me, this is the most painful issue. After all, people are the most valuable thing each of us has,” said Galyna Heraha.

According to her, during the full-scale war more than 30 facilities of the company were completely destroyed or damaged. In total, this is over a million square meters of retail, logistics, and production space.

“We need long-term loans for recovery, for building a new business and new logistics spaces. Because right now logistics is practically down. According to statistics, more than 50% of warehouses were destroyed. Also, the issue of insuring military risks is very important. It has been discussed for years, but so far a working insurance mechanism has not been found,” added the co-founder of “Epicentr K.”

In turn, Ukraine’s Minister of Economy and Environment, Oleksandr Kravchenko, noted that, according to the ministry’s estimates, the total damage to Ukrainian business in 2026 year amounts to about $10 billion.

“It is clear that in combination with closed ports this creates immense pressure on the Ukrainian economy and business. And that is what funds taxes, finances the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and provides each community in Ukraine with critical services and goods. So our priority is to support business and the economy. Let’s try to find solutions that, on the eve of a hard winter, will provide at least some element of certainty and a ray of hope for our business,” urged the head of the Ministry of Economy and Environmental Protection.

Also present at the meeting were first deputy chair of the NBU Serhiy Nikolaychuk, member of the Verkhovna Rada committee on finances, tax and customs policy Nina Yuzhanina, member of the supervisory board of AT “Altbank” Tetiana Ostrikova, as well as deputies, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and representatives of civil society.

In addition to implementing effective programs of insurance against military risks and preferential lending, participants called on the authorities to simplify tax administration, introduce tax deferrals and the possibility of delaying tax payment deadlines for affected businesses, as well as a number of other mechanisms that can support Ukrainian entrepreneurs under constant attacks.

As a reminder, the first event within the framework of the initiative “Epicentr of Manufacturers” was held in March this year. Then business and civil society representatives discussed tax policy with the authorities. In subsequent meetings with government officials, specific solutions were developed to address staffing shortages, employee insurance mechanisms, elimination of customs schemes, and attracting funds into the Ukrainian economy.

The offline partner for the project’s events is the Canti brand from importer Wine Bureau.