In every person’s life, there comes a time when the need for change becomes evident. For Viktoriia Sviatchenko, a Ukrainian language and literature teacher, these changes became a turning point. Having a large family and successfully receiving her PhD in the sphere of education, in 2018 she decided to embark on a new venture — to become the founder of a company that would provide high-quality broadband internet access in the rural areas of Donetsk and Kharkiv regions. For Viktoriia, the internet was not just a technology, but a tool for giving people access to endless opportunities for learning, development, work, and leisure.
With the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine in 2022, Viktoriia’s company lost most of its clients, and a significant part of the equipment and internet lines were destroyed. The existence of the business, which had been growing since 2018, was under threat. Despite this, Viktoriia and her team did not stop; instead, they focused on restoring and continuing operations.
Thanks to grant support under the ReACT4UA program, financed by the German Government and implemented by the German federal company “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, two employees of the company underwent training in 2024 on the installation and maintenance of PON fiber-optic networks. This allowed them to repair damaged networks more quickly and improve service quality. With the grant funds, the company purchased the necessary equipment and materials to restore connectivity in the liberated territories, particularly in the Sviatohirsk community.
The project “Restoration of xPON Technologies in the Liberated Territories of the Sviatohirsk Community”, supported by the ReACT4UA program, enabled the laying of important internet lines in the village of Yarova and the city of Sviatohirsk. The company restored internet services for 190 subscribers, and this number continues to grow.
Thanks to the implementation of new technologies such as xPON, the business can continue providing high-quality services despite the difficult wartime conditions with ongoing shelling of the liberated and frontline areas.
“In the conditions of war and blackouts, our company strives to provide uninterrupted internet connectivity even in the absence of electricity. For our company, this has posed new challenges that require investments in network modernization, protection from cyberattacks, and recovery in case of damage from shelling. Thanks to the support of the ReACT4UA program, we have not only been able to restore broadband internet services but also strengthen the business, expand its capabilities, and plan for future growth,” notes Viktoriia Sviatchenko.
Reference information
Non-reversible financial support (grants) to Ukrainian telecommunication operators in de-occupied territories is provided within the international cooperation project ReACT4UA (“Utilization and Implementation of the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine in the field of trade”), financed by the German Government and implemented by the German federal company “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH”. The grants were made possible by ad-hoc funding from the German Government. The programme aims to support Ukraine’s economic resilience, recovery and growth, create better conditions for the development of Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as support innovation and exports.
The strategic implementer of the programme is the German federal company “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH”. The implementing partner is Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO). The support is given by: The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
The contents are the sole responsibility of BRDO and do not necessary reflect the views of the European Union and the German Government.
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