A Czech leatherwork company that makes a wide variety of handmade products — travel bags, messenger totes, wallets and belts — never planned to add personal protective gear that would save lives in a war to its offerings.

Ukrainian workers sort newly produced body armor at a leatherwork shop in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 21, 2022. A Czech leatherwork company that makes a wide variety of handmade products — travel bags, wallets and belts — never intended to add personal protective gear that would save lives in a war to its offerings. But the Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed all that. After Russian troops launched their assault, Tlusty & Co. has hired 15 Ukrainian refugees to help it manufacture body armor for Ukraine's volunteer defenders. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

© Provided by Associated PressUkrainian workers sort newly produced body armor at a leatherwork shop in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 21, 2022. A Czech leatherwork company that makes a wide variety of handmade products — travel bags, wallets and belts — never intended to add personal protective gear that would save lives in a war to its offerings. But the Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed all that. After Russian troops launched their assault, Tlusty & Co. has hired 15 Ukrainian refugees to help it manufacture body armor for Ukraine's volunteer defenders. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed that.

After Russian troops launched their assault on Ukraine, Tlusty & Co. hired refugees from Ukraine to help the company join a manufacturing operation equipping Ukrainian volunteers with body armor to face the invading troops.

The Prague-based company agreed to a request from the Post Bellum nongovernmental organization to join a project to supply the protection gear similar to bulletproof vests to Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces. Thousands of Ukrainian volunteers have joined the troops to resist the Russian invasion.

A Ukrainian worker saws parts od body armor at a leatherwork shop in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 21, 2022. A Czech leatherwork company that makes a wide variety of handmade products — travel bags, wallets and belts — never intended to add personal protective gear that would save lives in a war to its offerings. But the Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed all that. After Russian troops launched their assault, Tlusty & Co. has hired 15 Ukrainian refugees to help it manufacture body armor for Ukraine's volunteer defenders. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

© Provided by Associated PressA Ukrainian worker saws parts od body armor at a leatherwork shop in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 21, 2022. A Czech leatherwork company that makes a wide variety of handmade products — travel bags, wallets and belts — never intended to add personal protective gear that would save lives in a war to its offerings. But the Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed all that. After Russian troops launched their assault, Tlusty & Co. has hired 15 Ukrainian refugees to help it manufacture body armor for Ukraine's volunteer defenders. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

“We specialize in completely different production,” Tlusty & Co. owner Ivan Petruv said. “We were facing a situation where we had to decide. And because we consider ourselves part of a community that wants to help in this situation as we can, which is only natural when you see the news, we decided to say yes.”

To make the new production happen was a race against the clock, he said. The company needed to get new machines, new materials and above all, to hire extra employees to join the 20-25 staffers in a country whose unemployment rate of 3.4% reflects a lack of available workers in many fields.

Source:AP

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