- Direction:
- GovTech
Innovating Under Fire: Why War Accelerated, Rather Than Stopped, Ukraine’s Digital Transformation
- Publication date and time:
- Reading time:
- 3 min
In just a few years, Ukraine has become an international benchmark for digital government, rising to the top of global rankings even amid a full-scale war. How can governments build systems capable of withstanding the most severe crises?
Valeriya Ionan, Advisor to the Minister of Defense and the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, addressed this during her keynote at the Digital Society 26 event in Finland, hosted by Gofore. Her core message to European leaders was clear: digital resilience cannot be built during a crisis — it must be established long before.
From 102nd to Global Leadership
The digitalization of Ukraine’s public sector has taken a monumental leap. In 2018, the country ranked 102nd in international digital development comparisons; by 2024, it had climbed to 5th place. According to Ionan, the turning point occurred in 2019 with the creation of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the introduction of Chief Digital Transformation Officers (CDTOs) at both national and regional levels. The objective was never just to launch isolated projects, but to systematically break down bureaucratic silos and execute a shared long-term vision: building the most digital country in the world.
The State as a Single Platform
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s operating environment changed overnight. However, because the digital infrastructure was already in place, the state remained functional. The most visible embodiment of this resilience is the Diia ecosystem, currently used by 24 million Ukrainians.
In the early days of the war, the app was rapidly adapted. Television and radio broadcasts were integrated to ensure access to reliable government information. Services for internally displaced persons, providing access to financial aid and essential public services, were built and launched in a matter of days. When physical infrastructure was threatened, digital services kept society running. The war did not halt innovation; rather, it compressed development cycles dramatically, turning months of planning into days of execution and immediate deployment.
The Transition to an Agentic StateLooking ahead, Ukraine is already moving toward the next phase of digital evolution: the Agentic State. Instead of merely digitizing services, the government aims to proactively anticipate citizens' needs. Ukraine is building its own AI Factory and developing a national large language model (LLM) named "Siaivo." The next step is Diia.AI, an AI agent within the app that will deliver public services directly, minimizing bureaucratic friction. The goal is not just operational efficiency, but a state that acts proactively before problems escalate.
Concluding her keynote, Ionan emphasized that the public sector cannot succeed in isolation. European governments require close cooperation with businesses and civil society. Technology should never be treated as an end in itself—it is simply a means to support citizens and ensure that society continues to function, even when nothing goes according to plan.
Read the original keynote overview on the Gofore website:🔗 Ukraine’s lessons for Europe: How to build digital resilience
