Power Through Blackouts: How DDEV Community Helped Me in Ukraine
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian forces have been systematically targeting our civilian power infrastructure. These attacks cause blackouts that can last hours or days, making it difficult to work, live normally, or even survive the winter. In November 2025, these attacks got much worse.
I’m a DDEV maintainer living in Kremenchuk, Ukraine. I’m Stanislav Zhuk, but you can call me Stas. I became a DDEV maintainer in October 2023, and you can read more about my background in the introduction post. I work a typical five-day week, usually from afternoon to evening, which lets me overlap with Randy’s timezone.
This is my story of how your support helped me keep working through Russian attacks on our infrastructure, and why it matters so much.
Where Is Kremenchuk?
Kremenchuk is an industrial city in central Ukraine on the banks of the Dnieper River.
The Current Situation
In November 2025, Russians heavily attacked Kremenchuk’s infrastructure. We had no electricity, water, or central heating for almost a whole day. Now we have blackouts every day - typically 1.5-2 hours with electricity, then 3-5 hours without it, and the cycle repeats. There’s no sign of when this will get better.
This is the reality we live in: you can never know when and where the next strike will happen. I read the news every day, and every day civilians die. I try to focus on other things to stay sane, but the threat is constant.
Working during these conditions needs careful planning. For work, I need to keep my laptop running and have internet with acceptable speed. For home, I need to power the refrigerator during long blackouts so food doesn’t spoil. Some things I cannot control: water supply and central heating. I have an electric radiator, but it uses too much power to run from battery stations during long outages.
Surviving Through Russian Attacks on Infrastructure
2022: The Beginning
When Russian attacks on our power infrastructure started in fall 2022, I wasn’t ready for long blackouts. I had a couple of small powerbanks for mobile phones and bought several portable lanterns so I wouldn’t sit in the dark. I still use them.
The market was crazy at that time - prices went very high and it was hard to find equipment. I didn’t buy anything big then, just waited for things to calm down.
2023-2024: Building Capacity
After the first wave of attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure ended and prices went back to normal, I bought two more powerful powerbanks to run my laptop. They got me through 2023 and the first half of 2024. Now I use them to charge mobile phones.
The second problem was internet during blackouts. I switched to a fiber optic provider and bought two UPS units: SKE UPS Mini POE 60W for the router and Marsriva Smart Mini UPS KP5 for the ONA (Optical Network Adapter). Together they give me stable internet for about 8-9 hours when there’s no power.
2024: First Community Support
In 2024, Russian attacks on infrastructure came back. Thanks to all of you, an EcoFlow DELTA 2 was sponsored ($1,170), and I bought it at a local shop. This changed everything. Instead of dealing with multiple devices and cables, I just plug one socket into the EcoFlow and have power for the whole room: laptop, external display, lights, and more.
This made things much easier. With one power station, I could work through blackouts without constantly worrying about my battery dying.
November 2025: Facing Harder Russian Attacks
The Russian attacks in November 2025 are much harder than in 2022. They strike more often and cause more damage to our infrastructure.
You helped again. An EcoFlow DELTA 3 ($910) was sponsored. The market changed, and these units got cheaper. Now I don’t worry about whether DELTA 2 can charge fully in the short windows when we have electricity. I can power the refrigerator during very long blackouts and work on DDEV at the same time.
Having two power stations makes me feel much more confident during these hard war times. I can:
- Keep one station charging while using the other
- Run both laptop and refrigerator at the same time during long outages
- Work without worrying about power levels all the time
- Focus on DDEV work instead of managing power
The Impact of Your Support
Your support has been really important. Without these power stations, I couldn’t do my work as a DDEV maintainer during blackouts. You didn’t just give me equipment - you gave me the ability to keep contributing and keep helping the project and its users, even in these hard times.
Thank you for supporting Ukraine and understanding how important our situation is to Europe and the world. Your support means more than just equipment - it’s a reminder that we’re not alone.
This support is more than just hardware. It shows what open source communities can be: people helping each other through hard times, so we can keep building together.
Looking Forward
I don’t know when things will get better. But I know I have what I need to keep working, thanks to you. Every contribution makes a real difference in keeping DDEV maintained and supported.
If you want to support DDEV, visit DDEV’s GitHub Sponsors page.
I’m grateful for everyone who supports DDEV. Your help lets me keep working, keep contributing, and keep helping this community grow, even in the darkest times.
This article was edited and refined with assistance from Claude Code.