In March 2022, in response to the start of the full-scale invasion, Lviv IT Cluster launched a series of Victory Projects aimed at supporting business, military, critical and civilian infrastructure, as well as reinforcing the region’s security.
Over 10 months of the war, the Lviv IT Cluster community has allocated more than 64 million UAH to Victory projects, which is equal to almost $2 million. These funds are IT companies’ invaluable contribution to Ukraine’s victory and the manifestation of their social responsibility. You can view the full report presentation via the link. Find details on each project below.
Second Home: equipping 7 shelters in Lviv
Second Home is the first project within the Victory initiative, launched at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Centers for temporarily displaced people worked in the first months of the war. The Lviv IT Cluster, together with partners, has set up 7 centers in Lviv to accommodate temporarily displaced people, providing 1200 beds and 25,000 free lunches. Depending on the needs, cosmetic repairs being carried out, or household appliances purchased to equip each Center in a way to enable a comfortable stay for some period of time. Since February, more than 11,000 people have taken refuge in our centers, including more than 4000 IT professionals. The budget of the project reached 2,867,479 UAH.
Sky: 13,000,000 UAH for the Air Defence Forces
The Sky project is one of the largest initiatives within Victory Projects. This project aims at the technical modernization of the air defense system in eight western regions of Ukraine and increasing its efficiency. During the first stage of the project, the command and analytical centers of the Air Command West were re-equipped with computers, network devices, and other equipment.
The second stage involves the training of the Air Command’s personnel. Namely, the purchase of a VR simulator for MANPADS (man-portable air-defense systems) operators. Installation work will start in the near future. Since the beginning of May, when the project was launched, the Cluster community has donated more than 13,000,000 UAH for the modernization of the Air Command West, resulting in a 40% improvement in efficiency.
Starlink: ensuring a backup source of internet supply
In March 2022, the Lviv IT Cluster and the SpaceX division launched a joint initiative to provide the critical infrastructure of western regions of Ukraine with a backup source of internet supply. At the first stage of the project, the Lviv IT Cluster community purchased and transferred over 400 Starlink terminals for the needs of the critical infrastructure of the western regions of Ukraine. In October, Lviv IT Cluster announced the second stage of the project – the association is now working on purchasing a new batch of Starlink terminals for IT companies. Currently, the total cost of the Starlink project exceeds 9,000,000 UAH.
Vision: modernization of the video surveillance system in the Lviv region
The project goal is to modernize the video surveillance system in the Lviv region to prevent crimes, quickly conduct investigations, and capture law violators. In times of war, it is even more critical to investigate enemy diversion groups and prevent crimes. The budget of the project equaled 13,500,000 UAH. These funds allowed modernizing of the video surveillance system in the Lviv region. Over 1500 additional cameras were set up as part of the project, and a new feature of face and vehicle recognition was implemented.
Mental Health Center: over 5,000,000 UAH for providing expert psychological help
In October, Lviv IT Cluster initiated the Mental Health Center opening in Lviv. The Center is based on the First Medical Association of Lviv. The military, internally displaced people, and anyone who needs support in such a difficult time will be able to receive the help of professional psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and psychologists here. The cost of the project reaches over 5,500,000 UAH. These funds involved expenses related to redecoration works, and everything needed to equip comfortable rooms for individual and group therapy.
Shelter Link: more than 1000 Wi-Fi access points for shelters
The goal of the initiative is to provide schools and daycares with the internet during the air alarms. The Lviv IT Cluster community provided more than 1200 routers worth 1,718,417 UAH. This is an essential project that impacts economic resilience. During the air alarms, parents naturally worry about their children. That is why it is important to equip shelters with Wi-Fi routers, to ensure that parents always know their children are safe and can work uninterruptedly.
Also, after February 24, Lviv IT Cluster members supported the initiative to provide humanitarian aid to soldiers on the frontline and people who have suffered from the war. In several months the Cluster community transferred 30 tonnes of food, 2 tonnes of medical drugs and equipment, 5 trucks for transporting the injured and 15 tonnes of hygienic supplies as part of the project. The total cost of the project amounted to 2,000,000 UAH.
It is important for the Lviv IT Cluster community to support the country and the military not only through humanitarian initiatives. This is how the Armor project was launched. Through this initiative, soldiers serving in the area of Mykolayiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Popasna, Kramatorsk, and other hot spots received over 1000 bulletproof vests of 4+ protection class. Also, at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, soldiers, special services, and special forces soldiers who were defending Bucha, Irpin, and Konotop were provided with protective equipment. The total budget of the project amounts to 10,091,220 UAH.
Dracarys: reinforcement of the 24 Brigade named after King Danylo
One of the latest projects of Lviv IT Cluster, as part of which we donated rugged laptops, drones, 3D printers, and Starlink terminals to reinforce the 24th Mechanized Brigade. All equipment worth almost 2,000,000 UAH was sent to the military fighting in the east.
Boryviter: 2,000,000 UAH for training drone pilots
At the IT Arena 2022 Opening Ceremony, the Lviv IT Cluster community supported the initiative of the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation and donated 2,000,000 UAH to the Boryviter school, which trains the military. A thousand students of Boryviter have already been trained to control drones and are ready to apply the acquired knowledge in the army.
“From the first day of the full-scale invasion, our community came together and actively joined in supporting the country and the Armed Forces. During the ten months of the war, this resulted in an impressive sum of donations – 64 million UAH. I am grateful to each company for supporting Victory Projects. We do not stop working on projects that bring our victory closer. And even after the last occupier leaves our land, the Cluster will continue to support the country,” says Stepan Veselovskyi, CEO of the Lviv IT Cluster.
You can view the full report presentation via the link.