How can businesses restore operations within hours of enemy attacks? A new case study on the Korotych gas station (“A Bombed Gas Station in Korotych, Kharkiv Region: The Spirit of Ukrainians Exemplified”), developed by Sofiya Opatska, Founding Dean of the UCU Business School and Vice Rector for Strategic Development at UCU, as well as Gerard Seits, a professor at the Ivey Business School, explores the unprecedented resilience of Ukrainian entrepreneurship during a full-scale invasion.
What is this case study about?
On the evening of November 7, 2025, during a Russian shelling of the village of Korotych in the Kharkiv region, an enemy guided aerial bomb completely destroyed a civilian gas station belonging to the “OKKO” chain. At the moment of the strike, people were at the gas station: some were filling up their cars, while others were inside the café. Several cars were damaged, but miraculously, no one was killed.
Just two days after being directly hit by the aerial bomb, the gas station resumed operations and began serving customers again. This incident raises fundamental questions for modern management: How are Ukrainian organizations remaining viable in the fourth year of a full-scale war, and what crisis management lessons can the global business community learn from the Ukrainian experience?
Developed in collaboration between the UCU Business School and Ivey Publishing, this case study offers students and executives a detailed analysis of a real-world operational crisis and the mechanisms of psychological and procedural resilience within teams.
Why is this experience unique in the world?
The events in Korotych demonstrate not only technical operational efficiency but also a profound transformation of the role of business during wartime. Ukrainian gas stations and businesses have become “hubs of resilience” — key infrastructure centers for communities that, during blackouts, provide people with heat, electricity from generators, communication, hot meals, and psychological support.
The practical value of this case study for educators and top managers lies in the analysis of three critical factors of resilience:
- Speed of operational recovery: the ability of teams to quickly mobilize resources, assess damage, and resume providing services to the community under the constant threat of renewed shelling.
- Purpose: evidence that a business’s deep roots in community life and an understanding of its social mission are the main drivers of employee resilience.
- Staying Connected: an exploration of how mutual support and trust within a team help overcome the severe psychological consequences of extreme events.
Case Study Overview
You can access the full version of the educational case study “A Bombed Gas Station in Korotych, Kharkiv Region: The Spirit of Ukrainians Exemplified” directly on the Ivey Publishing platform at the following link: Case Study: A Bombed Gas Station in Korotych, Kharkiv Region | Ivey Publishing.
