Studio Visit with BULLETPROOF UKRAINE MADINA KATTER
SLEEK Tell me about yourself and your background. What were you doing before Bulletproof Ukraine?
Madina Katter I moved to Berlin four years ago, but I was born and raised in Kazakhstan. I was studying law there, with one year spent in Austria. At some point during my studies, which focused on the more utopian elements of practising law, it became apparent that the actual work of the lawyer was not what I was learning about. I realised I was much more interested in the concept of fairness. And I also realised that even if I became a lawyer, I would want to have my own company to create some sort of impact. That’s when I thought that maybe I should be an entrepreneur. When I moved to Berlin, I started working with small business start-ups to help build their brand identities and marketing strategies. Through this, I became a venture developer, which allowed me to explore different markets and different products anywhere in the world. Around the same time, I took a vacation to Ukraine. I completely fell in love. I had never experienced a place like it. When I returned, I told my employer that I wanted to spend ten days a month there. Ukraine became a sort of second home.
S And then you founded Bulletproof Ukraine in
2022. How did it begin and why?
MK When the war started, I realised how much Ukraine meant to me. I wanted to protect it. It was a no-brainer for me to quit my job and help in any way that I could. Any projects that I was working on, especially the commercial ones, felt so morally far from where priorities were at that time.
The idea to create a bulletproof vest supply project was kind of obvious to me. I saw many people struggling to find (they sold out immediately) and afford (they cost €750) bulletproof vests. I already had the experience of building a product remotely, the circumstances were just different. A friend of mine, Rost, came onto the project to take care of operations. He handled the product design and worked on site with experts, steelworks gurus and engineers at each stage of production. Meanwhile, I handled the more logistical side of it. After a few rounds of testing, we came to our final product which was 50 per cent cheaper than the market price.
S How did this project differ from others you’ve
done before?
MK Everything happened quite quickly – it had to. Rather than a deadline being in a week, it had to be within a few hours. The circumstances were constantly changing. For example, we would find a supplier of Kevlar – an army fibre that we use for the protection layer of the vest – but then they’d be sold out the next day. We had to work quickly and be proactive.
S How has Bulletproof Ukraine changed your perspective?
MK It was a very intense time. There was nothing more important to me than ensuring people were able to access bulletproof vests. It was quite disorientating because my life in Berlin was still going on. Friends were inviting me for birthdays, asking me out for coffee or telling me about a new pair of jeans they wanted to buy. It just all felt so unimportant. From the moment I woke up to the very late hours of the night, I would be at my computer working. It took up my entire mind and body. I guess my instinct kicked in.
One interesting thing that I’ve noticed is that people say they want to help but then they don't. Maybe it’s something about the nature of us as humans, a sort of instinctive fear when exposed to something dangerous or unknown, that makes some people shut down even when they’re physically distant from the situation. Maybe it’s this unknown that makes them afraid of committing to something more than just sharing a post about it on Instagram. I don’t know. I just believe that if you want to help, and you say you want to help, you should. I think this project has really opened up a new way for me to understand human nature.
S Your motto is “Act on behalf of next generations”. Why is this ethos important for you? MK This concept is called ‘long-termism’, which basically means that the priority of current action is to improve the long-term future of the planet and the people inhabiting it. I believe that if you claim to be a good person, you’re always using your skills and time for the benefit of the environment around you. Everybody is searching for fulfilment in life. As social beings, this fulfilment can only come from fulfilling others. My happiest moments in life are related to the times when I know that I’ve helped someone or uplifted them. I always think about what I want the future to look like and consider how I can contribute to that version right now. I hope that others do the same.
S How does trust play a role in what you do?
What does it mean to you?
MK Trust is when you don’t have to look at the CV of a person to know that you could hand over anything to them. Trust is about an alignment of values. It’s almost a tribal feeling. At the start of the war, I was talking to so many people I hadn’t met before. At that time, people helped one another without even knowing their names. I had never before experienced such a deep trust, one that often required no words. It was so beautiful. ●