The large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine has hit Ukrainian business hard. According to United Nations Development Programme data, in the first two years of the major war, two-thirds of small and medium-sized businesses closed or partially ceased operations. In 2025, the main challenges for Ukrainian businesspeople are power outages due to Russian shelling of the energy sector, a personnel crisis, logistics difficulties, decreased demand due to the economic situation, and missile and drone strikes destroying production facilities.
Yellow Blue Business Platform has gathered 13 businesses that have suffered from Russian shelling in the last six months. These are manufacturers of stylish bags, clothing, and footwear, delicious pies, snacks, and coffee, as well as household and personal hygiene goods. Some of them can be supported from abroad by placing an order. And for those who don’t yet deliver products to other countries, the best support would be a donation to air defense.
Hvoya
About the business: A brand of handmade footwear and bags founded by designer Mariia Simich-Moiseienko in 2015. Its audience is women with a dynamic pace of life: footwear has flat soles or small heels up to 6 cm/2.4 in, and most bags are spacious constructors with detachable handles. They are manufactured from Italian leather and velours and quality hardware. The design is concise and clear. The brand often experiments with prints, textures, and embossing. In 2022, the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, dressed in Hvoya’s Ballerinas Di for a Vogue cover shoot.
How it suffered: On June 10, 2025, a Russian strike completely destroyed the Hvoya workshop in Kyiv. The entire building, equipment, raw materials, and supplies, as well as a batch of finished footwear from the summer collection, burned down. The only thing that was managed to be saved was the product patterns, which the team had digitized the day before. Simich-Moiseienko is not calculating the exact sum of damages but estimates losses at approximately a few dozens of thousands of dollars. Hvoya is still restoring production after the strike and hopes to return to its usual volumes during the winter. There are no new models yet, but footwear and bags from the basic assortment are available.
How to buy brand products: Hvoya footwear and bags can be ordered on the Hvoya website or the Moda Operandi platform. They are also sold in boutiques in the USA (Cincinnati, Ohio), Italy (Pescara), Moldova (Chisinau), Denmark (Copenhagen), and South Korea (Seoul).
Idealist Coffee
About the business: The Idealist Coffee shop chain has a full coffee production cycle: it purchases grain, roasts it, packages, and sells it. Idealist uses specialty grain—the highest grade of Arabica from the best plantations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Ukrainian businessman Serhii Koretskyi opened the first establishments in 2019. Currently, 10 coffee shops of the chain operate in Kyiv. Idealist Coffee is the largest manufacturer of drip coffee in Ukraine. The brand sends it, as well as coffee beans and brewing equipment, to buyers via international delivery.
How it suffered: In August 2025, Russian shelling damaged the premises in Kyiv where Idealist roasted and packaged grain. The team quickly resumed work, but two months later, on the night of October 25, a ballistic missile hit the workshop. The roof and walls collapsed, equipment was covered with broken glass and flooded with water used by firefighters to extinguish the fire. Already the next week, Idealist began restoring the workshop in a new premises. Currently, the team roasts and packages grain at the facilities of other businesses that offered help.
How to buy brand products: Idealist Coffee sends goods abroad at a fixed delivery cost of $19.
Willo
About the business: This is a brand of handmade footwear and bags created in 2024 by the married couple Alona and Vitalii Efymenko. Their style is modern classics, practicality, natural materials, basic colors, and refined details. Willo also has limited collections of trendy footwear models in popular colors.
How it suffered: On June 10, 2025, a Shahed kamikaze drone hit the Willo workshop in Kyiv. The roof collapsed in the building, metal machines were bent, materials, equipment, and shoe lasts burned. Two bags of buckles are all that remained from the summer collection. In a few months, the Willo team found new premises, restored original designs of footwear models, purchased new materials, and released the autumn collection “Your step is my support.” It symbolizes resilience, rebirth, and trust.
How to buy brand products: Willo sends footwear and bags via international delivery at the rates of Ukrainian carriers. This costs around $30.
Star Brands
About the business: A group of companies that includes manufacturers of salty snacks and grocery goods, and logistics enterprises exporting products to 28 countries of the world. The history of Star Brands began back in the 2000s, when entrepreneur Larysa Omelchenko and her son Ivan created the company Snack Production, producing snacks under various trademarks—Chipsters chips, Flint and Hroom croutons, Big Bob salted peanuts, San Sanych and Petrykivska Lakomka sunflower seeds, and Morski dried seafood snacks. Subsequently, Snack Production became one of the divisions of Star Brands. Larysa Omelchenko is the ultimate beneficiary of the business.
How it suffered: In April 2025, two Russian Shahed kamikaze drones attacked the company’s warehouse; losses reached over $700 thousand. The attack completely destroyed the premises—it had to be rebuilt from scratch. Two warehouse employees received burns, concussions, and shrapnel wounds. Star Brands warehouses suffered again on November 3—a drone destroyed the premises in Pavlohrad where raw material stocks and products were stored. There were no casualties; the company is estimating the damages.
How to buy brand products: Star Brands snacks are sold in 28 countries of the world—in Europe, Asia, and North America. They can be found in large supermarket chains, for example, in Carrefour, Auchan, Kaufland, Mix Markt.
Omgbrand
About the business: A brand of women’s clothing and footwear founded in 2017 by entrepreneur Oksana Holod. On the Omgbrand website, one can find dresses, suits, shirts, pants, shorts, skirts, outerwear, as well as sneakers, boots, sandals, and shoes of various models with heels or flat soles. Besides standard clothing sizes, the brand sews models of different lengths so that it’s comfortable for clients of different heights to wear them.
How it suffered: After a Russian kamikaze drone shelling on June 10, 2025, the Omgbrand warehouse and the workshop in Kyiv where they created shoe lasts for heels and handmade soles burned down. The fire completely destroyed equipment, patterns, materials, and a finished batch of footwear that they did not manage to send to the store. According to the owner, the brand lost 35-40% of production capacities and suffered losses of tens of thousands of dollars. Now Omgbrand works as usual but temporarily doesn’t manufacture footwear with heels (although remnants of these models are still on sale).
How to buy brand products: Omgbrand sends goods abroad at the rates of Ukrainian carriers. This costs approximately $30.
Biosphere Corporation
About the business: It’s a corporation manufacturing goods for home and personal hygiene. In 1997, it was founded by entrepreneur from Dnipro Andrii Zdesenko. Initially, he sold imported hygiene goods in Ukraine, and in 2001 created the first kitchen goods trademark Freken BOK. Now Biosphere has 6 factories in Ukraine, Romania, and Estonia and 16 trademarks. Every day, over 1.3 million units of Biosphere goods are bought in markets of Europe, Asia, and North America.
How it suffered: In April 2025, a Russian missile completely destroyed part of the Biosphere warehouses in Dnipro. One employee died, another 11 received injuries. Now the corporation is rebuilding the destroyed premises.
How to buy brand products: Biosphere Corporation goods can be bought in large supermarket chains in 25 countries around the world. The company’s geography covers North America, Europe, and Asia—from the USA to Tajikistan.
IWoman
About the business: A women’s clothing brand founded in 2018 by Odesa entrepreneur Iryna Yakymchuk together with her husband. Basic classic items predominate in the IWoman assortment—outerwear, knitted products, suits, dresses, tops, shirts, sweaters, and other attire. There are several collections with trendy elements.
How it suffered: On May 1, 2025, a Shahed hit the knitted goods production in Odesa. The roof and walls collapsed. The entire building, equipment, materials, and the new clothing collection burned down.
How to buy brand products: IWoman sends goods abroad at the rates of Ukrainian carriers. Sending a parcel up to 2 kg will cost approximately $14; with +$12 for every subsequent 2 kilograms.
Businesses that don’t yet deliver goods abroad
Yofi!
About the business: Yofi! is the largest hummus producer in Ukraine; in a year, it manufactures about 1200 tons of products. This is a trademark of the GoodFoods Company corporation, founded in 2010 by three entrepreneurs—Oleh Heiler, Ihor Buchatskyi, and Andrii Vyshnevskyi. In 15 years of work, 35 product names have appeared in the GoodFoods Company assortment, which are sold in over a thousand Ukrainian stores. These are various flavors of hummus, babaganoush eggplant appetizer, and falafel.
How it suffered: In September 2025, a Russian missile completely destroyed the Yofi! production in Kyiv; almost nothing remained of the building. It was a 2000 m² workshop with three production lines with Ukrainian, Italian, and Israeli specialized equipment. The company suspended production, their goods disappeared from the shelves of Ukrainian stores. Damages are estimated at tens of thousands of dollars. Now production is being restored; in November-December 2025, products are supposed to return to sale.
Vognyar
About the business: A brand of craft hot sauces, marmalade, candies, and dried pepper, founded in 2015 by the owner of the OSDirect marketing agency Valentyn Kalashnyk. During the full-scale invasion, Kalashnyk is serving in the Ukrainian military. Vognyar has its own farm in the Cherkasy region, where it grows over 50 varieties of hot pepper. It is sold fresh, dried, smoked, and fermented, or treats are made from it and added to signature sauces with various flavors—for example, with cranberry or lemongrass. Vognyar products can be bought in large Ukrainian supermarket chains.
How it suffered: In October, a Russian missile destroyed one of the Vognyar warehouses in Kyiv. Everything burned in the premises, including the roof and walls. Kalashnyk estimates damages at least at $200,000. The brand is quickly recovering and rebuilding supply chains to supermarkets. The shelling did not affect orders placed via the online store.
Green Chef
About the business: A brand of healthy and tasty food founded in 2014 by blogger Yana Streltsova. Green Chef manufactures bars, candies, cookies, pastries and cakes, kombucha, as well as plant-based yogurts. They are prepared from whole and plant ingredients, without lactose, gluten, refined sugar, artificial preservatives, and dyes. Green Chef adds to its kombucha probiotics, vitamins, and antioxidants.
How it suffered: In July 2025, Russian shelling destroyed part of the Green Chef workshop in Kyiv. During the fire, the building collapsed. The brand lost part of the equipment, raw materials, finished products, containers, and packaging. The owner estimates damages at over $240,000. While the move to a new premises was ongoing, some directions, such as the confectionery work, were suspended. Kombucha production was moved to partners' facilities. In a few months, the brand completely recovered.
Gelarty
About the business: A brand of craft ice cream with unique flavors—for example, coffee with Baileys or feta with olives and red wine. Gelarty appeared in 2015—it was created by CRM system development consultant Maksym Holubiev, who experimented in the kitchen in his free time and prepared ice cream for friends. In 10 years of work, under the pseudonym Massimo Gelarty, he opened two establishments in Kyiv and one in Irpin. Besides desserts, the Gelarty menu has special dishes, such as pizza and sushi made of ice cream. The brand prepares ice cream from natural ingredients ordered from all over the world. For example, chocolate is brought from Belgium and France, vanilla from Italy. In February 2024, 51-year-old Holubiev died. The establishment in Irpin closed; Holubiev’s family manages the two establishments in Kyiv as well as the Gelarty brand.
How it suffered: In October 2025, during shelling, Gelarty warehouses in Kyiv suffered: windows flew out and walls were charred. Most of the products were lost. The team is currently working on restoration of the business.
Fahrenheit
About the business: A manufacturer of thermal underwear and clothing for active recreation, operating in Kyiv since 2009. It was founded by entrepreneur Viktor Aloshyn together with partners. All brand models are tested by extreme tourism experts—they test items in different climatic zones. Fahrenheit clothing is worn by fishermen, hunters, tourists, and Ukrainian military personnel—for them, the brand created a line of tactical clothing. In October 2025, the company received the “Verified by Antarctica” award from Ukrainian polar explorers from the Vernadsky Research Base.
How it suffered: In June 2025, Russian shelling damaged Fahrenheit’s production in Kyiv. It suspended work—canceled all current orders and acceptance of new ones. Sales resumed in a little more than a week: first separate models, and later most others. Already in September, Fahrenheit announced several new products.
Vasylevi Pyrohy
About the business: Vasylevi Pyrohy (Vasyl’s Pies) are two bakeries in Kyiv and Lviv managed by Russian-Ukrainian war veteran Vasyl Yarmoliuk. Since 2013, over 30 types of sweet and savory pies are baked there, as well as cheesecakes, eclairs, and brownies. For an additional payment of $1.2, Vasylevi Pyrohy includes a personal card in the order.
How it suffered: In September 2025, a Russian Iskander missile hit close to the Vasylevi Pyrohy production premises in Kyiv. The building rented by Yarmoliuk is now in an emergency condition. The blast wave also damaged three pickup trucks that delivered pies, expensive low-temperature chambers, and refrigerators. The team managed to save and move to partners' premises half of the products; the rest (almost a ton) had to be thrown away. The bakery also lost raw materials and packaging because particles of broken glass could have gotten into them. Yarmoliuk estimates damages at over $50 thousand.
