Episode 11: The Impact of the Russian Invasion on Ukrainian Credit Unions

Our guest on this edition of the Global Credit Union Podcast is “Aleksandr.” A liaison to the Ukrainian credit union movement, Aleksandr talks about the dire circumstances facing both the people of Ukraine and its credit unions. Aleksandr is not his real name. We chose to hide his identity for his safety, but the stories he shares about the devastating impacts of the Russian invasion of his country are very real. Aleksandr discusses what life is like for credit union employees and their members in Russian-occupied areas of the country, where there is a lack of food, water, communications, electricity and heat. He also talks about what the country’s credit union associations and regulators are doing to make it easier for those credit unions that are still operational, and what the country might need to get all their credit unions back up and running once this conflict is over. If you want to help the people of Ukraine in the short term—and Ukrainian credit unions and their members in the long-term—you can do that by making a donation to Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions’ Ukrainian Credit Union Displacement Fund. Click here to donate. To learn more about how credit unions in Ukraine are overcoming the challenges they face and how the global credit union movement is working to assist them, follow updates on World Council’s Ukrainian Crisis Response blog.