This story is not just about taxes. It’s a story about those who kept working despite everything.

In the fourth part of the series, we introduce you Ms. Olena, a gas station operator who has worked for over 10 years in a network with more than a 20-year history.

Her station survived occupation, shelling, and power outages, but could not withstand the new tax burden.

• Some gas stations in their network were destroyed or looted and require restoration.
• One station worked on a generator for over a year to provide fuel to the military and the local population.
• After the introduction of the advance payment, they were forced to close the station because they started operating at a loss.

Ms. Olena speaks frankly: “We understand that the country is at war. We understand that the state is spending money on defense. But we ask you—don’t take the last thing we have.”

In some regions, their gas stations are the only ones, and if they close, the military will have nowhere to refuel their vehicles.

Raising prices to survive is also impossible—people are without jobs, without money, without choices.

This is the fourth story in our series about the unfair conditions faced by independent market operators.

It is about the strength, resilience, and pain of those who continue to work where others have long given up.

Watch the video on YouTube: “Unfair Rules of the Game: Why Is Business Disappearing from Ukraine’s Fuel Map? Part 4”