Ukrainian Business Is Part of the Country’s Defense Capabilities: Davydenko, Founder of “Medtekhnika,” Calls for Closing the Market to Foreign Investors
5 August 21:51
OPINION
Oleksiy Davydenko, a Ukrainian entrepreneur and owner of the “Medtekhnika” chain, has called on the authorities to prevent foreign players from entering the domestic market until Ukrainian businesses have recovered from the destruction and losses caused by Russian shelling, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
Davydenko recalled the first days of the full-scale invasion and compared the behavior of international corporations and local companies.
“I remember well the first hours, days, and weeks of February 2022. When international companies and global retail chains were closing en masse and evacuating their staff… When people needed them most—instead of implementing protocols for uninterrupted operations to save citizens, they activated their international corporate security protocols,” the businessman noted.
According to him, it was Ukrainian retail chains—such as “Rozetka,” “Epicenter,” “Silpo,” “Nova Poshta,” and others—that ensured the country’s functioning during its most critical moments.
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The entrepreneur emphasized that the domestic sector is an integral part of the state’s defense capability, as it is precisely this sector that ensures
the functioning of the home front.
“Because the country isn’t held together only by missiles, drones, and soldiers. It’s held together by warehouses, stores, gas stations, logistics, manufacturing, and thousands of people who go back to work the very next morning after these brutal shellings. That is precisely why the Russians are destroying them,” Davydenko stated.
Given the massive losses suffered by Ukrainian companies, the businessman warned the government against opening the market to foreign players.
“I urge the authorities: While our businesses—destroyed by the enemy—are getting back on their feet, don’t even think about letting any foreign players into this market. We can’t protect them. We cannot help them. We must grant them tax breaks and maintain a complete economic defense perimeter around their industries,” the entrepreneur urged.
He concluded that the market share lost due to the war must go to Ukrainian producers who remained in the country: “So that the share of Ukrainian business that Russia bombed with missiles isn’t taken by someone who simply waited out the war abroad. Because the experience of war has clearly proven one truth—only your own people stay here with you when outsiders shut down and flee.”
As reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", the European retail chain Pepco has taken another step toward entering the Ukrainian market. The company has officially confirmed that its first stores will open in Kyiv, Chernivtsi, Mukachevo, and Ternopil. The launch of these retail locations is scheduled for the second half of 2026.
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