Our statement

Hi everyone,

We are aware that not all of our customers are in Europe and not all eyes are on the horrors taking place in Ukraine. However, at Playtronica, lots of us are directly affected by the ongoing attack.

All of us have family and friends in the war zone. Our team member Aksinja manages our shop out of Kyiv. Ukrainians Maxim and Sasha helped us to make a video sampler for the Seeing Sound podcast.

We all strongly condemn the actions of the Russian government. Playtronica was born in Russia, and the Russian citizens among us feel horrified at the powerlessness of not being able to prevent this terrible war from happening.

However, as we watch what used to be ‘domestic abuse’ turn into international crime, the unprecedented unity of other countries against this threat continues to give us hope.

Here are our tips on how you can help right now:

Donate money. There are plenty of causes – from healthcare to journalism. Before making a transfer though, check your sources. Unfortunately, there are some shameless scammers out there. Donate to a trusted international humanitarian organisation or even better, a Ukrainian-based one. A couple of worthy causes include: Vostok SOS and Voices of Children.

See more in our Instagram highlights.

Donate items and skills, or host a refugee. In many countries, especially those bordering Ukraine, there are coordinated units of volunteers. They’ll know what’s the most effective thing you can do from where you are.

Here’s a good place to start.

Write to your political representative, sign letters and petitions. Depending on where you are, research the position of your government and see if they have done enough. We tend to underestimate the importance of this measure. In fact, even in not the most democratic countries, politicians pay attention to feedback, especially regarding contested issues.

Join the protest and show your support, if you feel safe doing so. Here and here, you can see some info about the planned rallies. These lists are not exhaustive (and there’s no info on Russia as more than 13 000 people have been arrested at anti-war protests there).

Do your thing for free. Are you a nail art specialist? Why not offer a free service, just one a day, for those in need of a sense of normalcy? Do what you do best. No deed is too small.

Be compassionate to everyone. We all have our crosses to bear, so give other people the benefit of the doubt. Be kind(er) – to everyone.

Love and resistance,

Playtronica team