Like many of you, we have been deeply saddened by the loss of life and displacement of over a million people due to the war in Ukraine. There’s a global sense of powerlessness and frustration; the attack on democracy, freedom and people’s lives has shocked the world. It’s also made us ask: when people’s lives are at risk, can business really help? The world has answered this week with a resounding yes.

Starlink and SpaceX have secured internet connectivity in the Ukraine, McKinsey has refused to service Russian government entities and Deutsche Bahn has offered Ukrainian refugees free train tickets to Germany. And those are just a few examples of organisations who have been moved to contribute. Each of those companies, and the thousands of others who are helping, are acknowledging that business has a moral dimension and a responsibility to take a stand when democracy and human rights are attacked. 

We know that momentum can be short lived, but our hope is that business will continue to be moved to action by the needs of the world. 

You can donate to projects providing vital aid and services to those still in and fleeing Ukraine here. 

Here’s what you might have missed this week:

• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine represents a moral crisis as well as a military one – The New York Times 
• The transformation of Volodymyr Zelenskiy – The Guardian Podcast
• The weight of the worldview: how leading with love is essential – The Beautiful Truth 
• Leading through a crisis: what the corporate world can learn from Zelenskiy’s actions – Fortune 
• How Humans of New York became a philanthropy machine – New York Magazine  
• The Western business community is stepping up their response to Russia’s invasion – The Economist
• ‘Capitalistic diplomacy’: the brands boycotting Russia – Financial Times 
• Why the cultural boycott of Russia matters – The Atlantic
• How Volodymyr Zelenskiy has united the world and altered history – Time Magazine