In January 2023, it has been 11 months since Russia attacked its neighbor again: Ukraine (as a reminder: in 2014 there was a Russian invasion and subsequent annexation of Crimea). We are deeply affected by this attack on the sovereignty of a democratic country. This is also because we have had a subsidiary in Ukraine, GEODATA Ukraine, from 2021, and therefore "our" people.
Already 4 days after the beginning of the Russian aggression we have dispatched the 1st delivery of civilian drones. We have been collecting these to help the affected country under a project called Drones for Ukraine. Our external collaborator Vít Maršálek came up with the idea and we (Hrdlička Holding under the auspices of the non-profit organization Horizont HG 2014) turned it into action in cooperation with GISMA, HRDLIČKA - SLOVAKIA s. r. o., GEODATA Ukraine and with the support of APG (Association of Entrepreneurs in Geomatics). In 4 waves we delivered drones worth more than 1.5 million CZK to their destination.
In order to be able to help even more, we are also pursuing various activities at the political and economic level that bring companies together with a single goal: the creation of meaningful projects to support the war-torn state. Thus, we joined the Business Club Ukraine (BKUA, the Club) initiated by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. At the meetings, we present our second project, Revival of Ukraine. In cooperation with VALBEK-EU, Inc. we offer a comprehensive, modern, and effective vision of solutions for the restoration of major damaged infrastructure such as bridges and others.
Our activities are not limited to the Czech Republic. In February 2023 we are going to Rebuild Ukraine, a trade fair in Warsaw, Poland. There, we want to be even more vocal about our determination to use our know-how in geomatics and 3D documentation and lend our equipment and experts to help with VALBEK-EU in the renovation of destroyed bridges, roads, and other important points. As part of the Czech export booth (under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, CzechInvest and CzechTrade agencies, and the Embassy of the Czech Republic), we will be networking with other like-minded companies with the Revival of Ukraine project.
We believe that our efforts, which GEODATA Ukraine is joining directly with the Ministry of Infrastructure, will lead to effective assistance where it is needed, i.e. in the war-ravaged territory. We wish for an early end to this military action, incomprehensible to us, and send hope and strength not only to our colleagues in Kyiv.
Mgr. Lucie Kmochová
