From Kyiv to Zurich – “Come to Switzerland – we’ll cover the costs” – News
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The Zurich company “Capptoo” had 25 employees in the Ukraine. Her boss brought some of them to Switzerland.
In the chic co-working space in downtown Zurich, software developers and IT specialists are working on new products – on online platforms for employee surveys or for cancer research. “Capptoo” was founded in 2017. Today, the Zurich-based company has 75 employees and associates.
Around a third of the workforce worked until recently in Ukraine. But that all changed when Russian troops invaded on February 24th.
“How many can we take?”
Company founder Christian Fillinger says he knew early on that war could break out in Ukraine. After a sleepless night in mid-February, he became active. He rounded up all his assumptions in Switzerland and asked: “How many beds do we have? How many can we take?”
A short time later he then sent an e-mail to all employees in the Ukraine: “Coming to Switzerland. We take the costs. You can also take dogs and cats with you.”
He brought families with children to Switzerland. “If the war lasts longer, the children should have a good education,” says the company founder. It was an intense time: “I looked for apartments, set them up and queued for hours in front of the asylum center with my Ukrainian colleagues.” At the same time, the business somehow had to continue. “We had full order books,” says Fillinger.
From vacation in Cyprus directly to Winterthur
Two families came to Switzerland. A war at the time war broke out just in Cyprus during the holidays. Instead of going home, Iryna Chubur, her husband and daughter flew to Zurich with their holiday luggage. Her boss, Christian Fillinger, found an apartment for the family in Winterthur.
Iryna Chubur sounds poised. But it quickly becomes clear that the first few weeks in Switzerland were difficult for her and her family. “The language, the new environment and the constant concern for relatives in Ukraine. That took a lot of time and energy.”
But not all Ukrainians from “Capptoo” were able to leave the country. Such as Roman Kovbasyuk. The company’s lead designer had to stay in Ukraine. The outbreak of war had hit him mentally so much that he could no longer think about his work. “I was hardly productive anymore,” says Kovbasyuk.
he is grateful that, unlike many other Ukrainians, he still has a job and that his wife and children are safe. Like the von Chubur family, Kovbasyuk also lives in Winterthur.
He has not seen his wife or children for three months. When asked how it is for him, he pauses for a long time. He then refers to his 94-year-old grandfather, who was also separated from his family for a long time during the Second World War. At that time there was no video telephony. «Thanks to modern technology, we can keep in touch today. I hear the voices and see the faces of my family.”
Roman Kovbasyuk’s optimism is impressive. Even if one shouldn’t become dull, there is still his head chef, Christian Fillinger, to consider. “Sometimes we almost forget that our colleagues live in the war zone. This is a pity.” We have to be careful not to give in to war-weariness.