When Russia marched to Ukraine in spring 2022, Olia Hercules started the #CookForukraine initiative. Cooking and culinary events gathered money for humanitarian aid in many countries. It was a personal concern for Hercules. She is a Ukrainian herself, was born in Kakhovka in the south of the country. Hercules lives in London today. However, her parents experienced the early stages of the war up close and had to flee from the country.