As Russian President Vladimir Putin announces he will mobilize up to 300,000 additional troops to fight in Ukraine, a San Francisco-based company is stepping up efforts to help the war-ravaged country.
In less than two weeks, Just Answer plans to open a new mental health center in Ukraine as well as a drone training school for soldiers.
"We decided to build a mental health center in Lviv for all the people suffering from PTSD from this war, everything from injured soldiers to family members of injured soldiers to everyday people that just have missiles landing near them," Just Answer CEO Andy Kurtzig said.
Just Answer has 300 employees in Ukraine, including Andriy Chemes, who says he and his family spend hours every day hiding in an underground shelter.
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"When the first missiles came, it was a few kilometers from our house," he said.
Chemes said many Ukrainians have already lost a friend or relative.
"Every day, there are funerals of our soldiers," he said. "That is really hard to see and really hard to visit those funerals."
Just Answer is also supporting Ukraine on the battlefield. Kurtzig plans to visit the country next month to give the military 11 drones and help train soldiers on how to use them.
Back in April, Kurtzig personally delivered body armor, insulin and night vision scopes. His team also helped the Ukrainian military improve its outdated missile defense system.
"We helped them upgrade their computer hardware and software to be able to knock down those missiles," he said. "That's been 40% more effective than what they had before."
