One month after the commencement of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Vladyslav Lysenko found his egg warehouse near Kyiv destroyed and occupied by Russian soldiers. However, instead of despairing, Lysenko saw an opportunity to pursue his lifelong dream of opening a restaurant. He met Ukrainian “MasterChef” finalist Ivan Kozyr while assisting internally displaced people and together, they decided to open Svitlo Café in Dnipro. Operating a restaurant during wartime comes with its challenges, including curfews, staff shortages, and logistical issues. Additionally, the digital environment has drastically changed due to the war.
Lysenko attempted to register the restaurant on Google Maps but encountered a roadblock. Due to concerns about off-topic content related to the war in Ukraine, Google had implemented additional protections preventing new business locations from being added in the country. The Ukrainian Parliament even petitioned Google to restrict its map app, alleging that it was being exploited by Russian terrorists to adjust bombing locations. These actions led Google to temporarily freeze user contributions on Google Maps.
However, recently, Google decided to remove these protections for most regions in Ukraine, allowing businesses like Svitlo Café and Nonna Macarona to mark their locations, list their businesses, link to websites, and share reviews. This change was a significant relief for restaurant owners like Lysenko and Roman Batyrenko, who co-owns Nonna Macarona. They believe that being present on Google Maps and having customer reviews is crucial for their business growth.
Nevertheless, Lysenko and Batyrenko faced another hurdle with TripAdvisor, which does not support reviews in the Ukrainian language. This limitation forces customers to leave reviews in other languages, such as Russian or English. While TripAdvisor acknowledged this issue, they stated that they are constantly experimenting with features and functionality and would consider adding support for Ukrainian in the future.
For Lysenko and Batyrenko, opening their restaurants has been more than just a business endeavor. It has been a courageous gesture to support their country and demonstrate its resilience in the face of a brutal attack. They believe that working, opening businesses, and improving the country’s economy is a way to defy Russia’s aggression and preserve their independence.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
