- Viktoria Kulakova lived in the southern Ukraine, where she was captured by Russian forces.
- She was “very concerned” about her freedom and life after her artisan products business was shut down.
- Viktoria fled her business in April and relaunched it. She claims that sales are now on the rise.
Viktoria Kulakova was unable to operate her small business for over two months while she struggled with daily tasks such as surviving Russia’s occupation in her hometown.
Her retail business was successful before Russia invaded. It’s Craft operated out of a warehouse in Nova Kakhovka — a small, strategically-significant city in the Kherson region of Ukraine.
Viktoria decided not to leave when the Russian forces arrived in February.
Pavlo Yarmii was a co-founder of the company and shuttered her warehouse. Together, they worked to help their community by purchasing food from poor farmers and then distributing it to the most vulnerable.
Pavlo was constantly stopped at roadblocks as he moved around the city, delivering supplies. Russian forces frequently searched Pavlo’s car in suspicion of pro–Ukrainian partisan activities.
Oleksiy Churkov, who left the company in recent years, was also a co-founder of It’s Craft. It’s an internet store that supports small-scale Ukrainian producers of traditional Ukrainian products.
It sells artisan products and foodstuffs, from cheese and cured meats to textiles and wooden crafts — including an Map made of plywoodUkraine
In April, Viktoria fled her home and reestablished herself — and her online store — in a new city. Now, she told Insider, business is booming — and sales have even outstripped pre-war figures.
It was all very quick
Viktoria, Pavlo and others waited for a while before finally deciding to flee Nova Kakhovka. Friends warned them that their volunteer efforts could make them targets of the occupiers.
Viktoria said, “We were concerned about how that might turn out because we were clearly pro Ukrainian activists.”
It all came together very quickly. Within 24 hours of making the difficult decision to leave, they set off for Uman, central Ukraine, to visit Viktoria’s sister Iryna.
Viktoria said to Insider that she only left when absolutely necessary, and that there were very real threats to her freedom and life.
They donated their remaining supplies to local charities. Viktoria and Pavlo crammed their belongings into a small car on April 23. Viktoria was limited in space and had to take only one bag.
Viktoria Kulakova
Viktoria said that they managed to escape with a relatively easy escape. Nevertheless, their journey took over 24 hours — at least four times as long as it would have taken before the outbreak of the full-scale war in February.
The group sat in a long line of cars for several hours waiting to go through Russian checkpoints. Viktoria described the scene by saying, “Everyone was pretty silent.” Mothers tried their best to keep their children busy. Some people cried. Some people prayed.”
They finally reached Uman around noon on April 24, just in time to celebrate Orthodox Easter — a major holiday in Ukraine. Viktoria said that Easter was not just a religious holiday, but also a celebration for freedom.
Fortitude and determination
Viktoria had applied for asylum in Nova Kakhovka before she fled Nova Kakhovka. Ukrainian Social Venture FundIt’s Craft funding to relaunch and relocate. When she arrived in Uman she discovered that She was awarded 180,000 Ukrainian hryvnia — around $5,000.
It’s Craft was reestablished by her savings as well as this money. Pavlo was still focused on volunteer work, while Viktoria worked hard to rebuild their shared business.
In May, 75% had closed down and many of her customers had fled Ukraine. Viktoria quickly sought out new suppliers and established partnerships with local manufacturers. She also launched a marketing campaign that promoted the store to a wider audience.
In an effort to attract new customers, she also opened It’s Craft’s first ever physical store.
Six months later, the business is doing well. According to Insider, bank statements verify that average monthly sales have increased. Viktoria believes this may be due to a growing patriotic desire to buy from Ukrainian-run companies amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Viktoria claims It’s Craft has increased its product range from 750 to 1,450. She is even considering expanding and looking at franchise opportunities in Ukraine’s tourist hotspots Lviv and Kyiv.
Russia’s invasion only made Viktoria more determined to expand her business. Insider heard her say that she wanted to “contribute to the establishment and growth of Ukraine’s economic identity”
