Mikhail and Family
Those of us at APD have historically avoided broadcasting messages related to political causes and other forms of overt activism. We are saddened that the dire situation that continues to unfold in Ukraine is what moved us to break with that history.
APD has worked with many Ukrainian citizens over the past decade (Mikhail, Slava, Igor, Dmitriy, Max, Denis, Oleg, Eugene, and many others). Over the years they have become not only colleagues, but also true friends. These are not faceless, “civilian lives” halfway around the world to us. These are people who have been intricately woven into our day-to-day.
These are people who share their vacation pictures with us, commiserate with us about the need for a drink at the end of a tough week, laugh with us, stress with us, and solve problems with us. They share stories about their families and children with us. Their lives, up until recent days, were much like ours. They were like ours, until they weren’t at all.
Now they are living in a reality that is unlike anything people in the West born after World War II have ever experienced. Some of them have fled their homes to protect their families and futures, but many of them have stayed to pick up arms or locally assist the resistance in any way that they can. The stories that you see on the news are not just anecdotal, isolated incidents of people standing for freedom and their country. This is the very real mindset of many Ukranians, including many on our team. The guys who we were Slacking about CSS, Javascript, Shopify, and WordPress days ago are now digging trenches, arming themselves, and coordinating supply lines from the western border into their country.
“Standing Up For Freedom” is a phrase that has been politicized here in the United States. It’s become a cliche, a throw-in talking point to bolster a political position. In Ukraine, our friends are reminding us that what we have so clearly taken for granted indeed is not guaranteed. They are literally putting their lives on the line for something that perhaps we have sometimes failed to appropriately cherish as Americans.
We cannot imagine a similar situation to what our team faces in Ukraine today happening in Boston, New York, Charleston, or Connecticut. We stand in absolute awe of the bravery and resolve they have mustered under terrifying conditions.
Changing the colors on our website and writing words feel necessary but similarly insufficient to express our desire to help.
We ask that you consider a donation to Ukraine, and to assist in spreading the word.
We are in direct communication with Mikhail who is in Dnipro, Ukraine. He sent us this video which was taken 200 km from where he resides. There was no military around; it was a civil administration building. Mikhail states in his words that these were “openly terrorist actions”.
Mikhail has given us a direct means to donate to him and his group in Dnipro, as well as a list of what, in his opinion, are the most effective and efficient means to donate (shown below).
Our hearts and prayers go out to our team and all the other heroes in Ukraine. We and the entire APD team stand behind Ukraine, and will do whatever we can to help our friends and we hope you join us in bolstering their ability to fight back.
Glory to Ukraine.
The APD Team
