How to survive when the rules are the same for everyone, but the opportunities are different?
In the third part of the “Unfair Rules of the Game” series, we tell the story of entrepreneur Mr. Vasyl from the Kharkiv region, who maintained his own family gas station for over 30 years.
It wasn’t just a business—it was a family life’s work.
His son, Oleksandr, and daughter worked alongside him at the station, supporting their father even during the hardest times. The gas station operated continuously, even in the first days of the full-scale invasion when work seemed impossible.
However, today this story is an example of how unfair tax rules can put an end to decades of honest work. Due to the requirement to pay an advance contribution of 60,000 hryvnias, the family was forced to shut down the station.
“For large chains, 60,000 is nothing. But for us, it’s our livelihood,” says Mr. Vasyl.
Stories like this are not isolated incidents.
Small and medium-sized businesses in the fuel industry are finding themselves in a situation where uniform requirements for all are effectively destroying local operators.
This means:
- Loss of jobs in communities;
- Reduced competition in the market;
- A threat to fuel accessibility for the population.
This is more than just an economic problem. It is a matter of fairness, equal rules, and the future of Ukrainian entrepreneurship.
Watch the third part of the series, “Unfair Rules of the Game: Why Is Business Disappearing from Ukraine’s Fuel Map?” on our YouTube channel to hear this story firsthand.
