One Year On – strong message from Playson CEO
The website of Playson, a leading supplier to the iGaming industry, released a message from the company’s CEO Alex Ivshin referring to the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. „I don’t remember many dates, but Thursday 24th February 2022 stands out vividly for me. This week marks one year since the full-scale and unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine.” CEO Playson says at the beginning.
One year later
Alex Ivshin recalls: “One month before it all started, we held a corporate event in Irpin, a small city next to Kyiv. It brought together Playsoners from across the globe, including the biggest part of our team that was based in Ukraine at that time, with individuals from our games development, marketing and HR teams attending, as well as many others.
The event was a fantastic way to bring our entire team together in one place, and spend some well-deserved downtime together. Just one month afterwards, the complex in Irpin where we had spent quality time was almost fully destroyed.”
Chief Executive Officer of Playson mentioned also about the tragic death of Oleksandr Honcharuk, Product Owner at Playson: “In the immediate aftermath of the invasion, we were faced with serious challenges and difficult decisions. We also had very hard moments. In May, tragedy struck when our Product Owner, Oleksandr Honcharuk lost his life whilst fighting in Ukraine. It was a sad time for everyone at Playson, as we lost not only a valued team member but a wonderful human being.” Ivshin writes.
“But even during the toughest of circumstances, the Playson team worked incredibly hard to ensure our operations and core business ran as smoothly as possible. I have tonnes of respect for Playsoners, who to this day continue to work under missile attacks, combine work with volunteering and stay vocal about current events publicly to spread the awareness no matter what.
The resilience of Ukraine and its people have been incredible to witness. We remain proud to be supporting Ukraine.” he adds.
Support for Ukraine
Alex Ivshin also recalls the support that Ukrainian citizens have already received from the company and assures that it will be continued: “Playson has been enrolled in the Kolo project for over eight months now, providing monthly donations for this important charity foundation. We have also regularly transferred humanitarian aid from our hub in Bratislava to Ukraine and have run multiple interactive charity projects.
It allowed us to focus on what we do best – deliver fun entertainment – and at the same time deliver much needed funds to Ukrainian Armed Forces, local volunteers and other charity organizations. In addition, we put together several fundraising initiatives of our own, including Miracle Season from Playson to kids. For this project, we helped 100 refugee families and their children from occupied and de-occupied territories to receive necessary clothing and hygiene items, as well as enjoy the holiday season with the delivery of multiple Christmas presents.”
“We are deeply saddened that the war against Ukraine continues. Playson is unwavering in our solidarity with Ukraine and stays committed in taking action to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom and peace.” Ivshin finishes his letter and reminds us of the opportunities to support the people of Ukraine through such organizations as: Charity Foundation ‘KOLO’, Charity foundation of Serhiy Prytula, The platform UNITED24, The Charity Foundation “Come Back Alive”. For more information regarding this topic, visit the Playson website.