On Thursday, Google told its employees in Ukraine to “shelter in place” and “restrict all movements” in response to military action by Russian forces against the Eastern European country, Business Insider reported.
According to a copy of the memo obtained by Business Insider, Google’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) president, Matt Brittin, told employees that Google was “highly concerned” about the escalation of violence and said the company was working to support employees who were near danger.
Today, we are asking all employees currently in Ukraine to shelter in place and restrict all movement,” he wrote.
Google and several other U.S. tech giants, including Oracle and Microsoft, have offices in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. It’s unclear how many employees the search giant has there, but LinkedIn shows the company has at least 200 full-time employees in the country. Google’s security team has also contacted all employees in Ukraine directly, Brittin said.
After Russian troops bombed the capital and several other Ukrainian cities on Thursday morning, many residents of Kiev began to flee the city. So far, 137 Ukrainians have been killed and 316 wounded in the violence, Ukraine’s president said earlier on Friday. Bloomberg earlier reported that a senior Western intelligence official said Kiev could fall into the hands of Russian troops by Friday.
In a memo to employees, Brittin described the invasion as a “major escalation in military activity” without explicitly mentioning Russia. The search giant also has an office in Moscow with several hundred employees.
A Google spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Below is the full text of the memo:
Dear Googlers:
As you can see in the media reports, there is a marked escalation of military activity in Ukraine today. As always, the safety and well-being of all our employees in the country remains our top priority. Today, we are asking all employees currently in Ukraine to shelter in place and restrict all movement.
This is a difficult time for those in Ukraine or with relatives in the region. We are very concerned about the escalation of violence and have teams working 24/7 to support those who are actually close to danger. GSRS has contacted all Googlers in Ukraine and communicated directly with our team in the country.
Moments like these remind us of all that really matters. Please continue to support each other and get the support you need.
Take care of yourself.
Matt