Podcast 🎧 & blog: Ukraine’s Digital Story: Turning Challenges into Change
By Fedrico Plantera
Ukraine’s digital transformation is a masterclass in the power of purpose-driven leadership amidst adversity, where resilience and clarity of vision have turned crisis into opportunity. More than simply the evolution of services or infrastructure, the country’s experience is rooted in reimagining how a state serves its citizens under extraordinary circumstances.
Facing systemic challenges, a full-scale military invasion by Russia, and economic strain, Ukraine pushed forward, proving that digital governance too can contribute to upholding the core values of protecting sovereignty and democracy.
In many ways and for many reasons, this is a special episode. Valeriya Ionan, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine (Editor’s note: At the time of recording, Valeriya Ionan served as Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. She now holds the position of Advisor to the Vice Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine), and Hannes Astok, Executive Director of e-Governance Academy, dissect the remarkable trajectory that has seen Ukraine move from fragmented governance to championing digital resilience. All the while strengthening Ukraine’s European aspirations, amplifying public trust, and much, much more through an era defined by uncertainty and rapid change.
In Urgency and Vision, the Birth of a Digital State
“Digital wasn’t just a choice; it was a necessity,” Ionan begins with. “From day one, we believed that technology could do what outdated bureaucracies never could – rebuild trust, remove barriers, and give people back their time and dignity.” Fair to say, then, that Ukraine’s digital leap was born out of urgency, but also as an ambitious policy choice.
Before 2019, Ukraine’s digital landscape lacked coordination and ambition. The Ministry of Digital Transformation, formed in 2019, aimed to fulfil President Zelensky’s promise of a ‘state in a smartphone.’
Led by Deputy PM Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine tackled the challenge by launching the Diia ecosystem. This mobile-first app, now used by over 22 million Ukrainians, streamlined services ranging from construction permits to business registration. “Each part of this ecosystem is designed with the clear purpose of simplifying life, empowering citizens, and building resilience,” Ionan explains. “We’re building more than apps or digital products. We’re building trust.”
To turn vision into action, the Ministry created Chief Digital Transformation Officers (CDTOs) at national and regional levels – making Ukraine one of the first countries in the world to introduce this role across government. These officers help embed digital priorities across government. “And that was one of the cornerstones of Ukraine’s success,” said Ionan, “to embed transformation directly into the organisational DNA of government bodies.”
Infrastructure Behind the Interface
Hannes Astok, reflecting on e-Governance Academy’s role since 2014, notes the foundational work began long before Diia. “We started with back-office improvements. And within that, designing and implementing Trembita, the data exchange system, was essential.”
Trembita – based on Estonia’s interoperability platform UXP (in Estonia X-Road) – has become the technological enable of interoperability in Ukraine’s digital government. “More than 10 billion secure data exchanges have been processed via Trembita. Behind a simple birth registration (e-Baby service), for example, Trembita coordinates data across 11 registries,” Ionan says. “It’s seamless for the user, but incredibly sophisticated behind the scenes.”
The platform brings transparency. “Trembita has integrity benefits,” she continues. “It powers our e-construction services, allowing permits to be issued 100% online. No bribes, no delays.”
Because digital transformation in Ukraine, in fact, is also a tool for systemic integrity. “There’s a joke in our government that the Ministry of Digital Transformation is the best anti-corruption agency,” Ionan remarks. “You just can’t digitise corruption. So, in order to fight and counter that effectively, you have to build a new system from scratch. One that is transparent, efficient, and inclusive.”
Between 2021 and 2024, it is estimated that digital services via Diia saved the economy an estimated 66 billion UAH (1,4 billion euros).
Trust, Culture, and Wartime Acceleration
The transformation that took place, as Ionan describes, lies not just in tools but in mindset: “We made digital pop culture in Ukraine. It became aspirational. Public servants started thinking like product managers. And bureaucracy gave way to user-centric design.”
Her statement reflects a fundamental shift in the government’s relationship with its citizens. Rather than seeing citizens as passive recipients of services, the government began treating them as users – users who expect speed, simplicity, and transparency. Beyond new technology, this shift required also a deep cultural transformation within public institutions.
“In that sense, Diia is a living system,” she says. “We constantly gather user insights, that’s how we keep improving it, and why it remains among the most trusted tools in Ukraine.”
This iterative, feedback-driven approach improved usability and built as well an ongoing dialogue between government and citizens. The public increasingly sees the state as responsive and efficient. As of the latest surveys, Ionan notes, 55% of Ukrainians use Diia with an 84% satisfaction rate. Remarkable figures for any public service platform, let alone one scaled up so rapidly under crisis.
The role of crisis in accelerating this transformation cannot be understated. The COVID-19 pandemic made digital interaction a necessity, not an option. But later, the full-scale Russian invasion solidified this reliance. “Moments of crisis accelerated digital adoption; more than providing convenience, Diia became a lifeline,” Ionan says.
From COVID vaccination certificates to wartime aid disbursements and civil documentation for internally displaced people, digitalisation in Ukraine became the connective tissue between the state and citizens in a time of massive disruption. “Millions of displaced people, both internally and outside the country, obviously couldn’t access government offices. So, Diia wasn’t just useful, it was essential,” Astok adds.
The wartime experience pressure-tested the system, but it entrenched new expectations too. Citizens now expect a seamless, mobile-first government. Anything less feels like regression. This cultural change – even more than the technology itself – is, perhaps, one of Ukraine’s most enduring digital victories.
Co-Creation and the Global Digital Future
International partnerships, especially with Estonia and the e-Governance Academy, were vital. “Ukraine didn’t copy Estonia, they built on our ideas and made them better,” says Astok. The Diia ecosystem even inspired Eesti.ee, Estonia’s new mobile governance solution.
“It would be incorrect to see us as mere recipients of digital aid,” Ionan comments. “We’re co-creators of the global digital future. If a solution works in wartime Ukraine, it can work anywhere.”
Despite the enduring military aggression, indeed, Ukraine is planning ahead: a Digital Agenda 2030, national AI strategy, and the Win-Win – Ukraine’s Global Innovation Strategy 2030 Innovation Strategy focused on 14 sectors — from defence tech and cybersecurity to AI and beyond.
“We are open to international partners,” Ionan highlights. “Our innovation centres are ready for collaboration, pilot projects, and knowledge exchange. The world can benefit from what we’ve learned.”
“But our path proves that vision is everything. Without it, you’re just automating dysfunction. So, we calibrated everything we do against one guiding goal: building the most convenient digital state in the world.”
Astok, concluding: “I admire leaders with vision – but even more, I admire those who can execute. Ukraine has done both. That’s why their journey matters, for them, and for everyone watching.”
The podcast episode was recorded as part of the DT4UA project. The project supported Ukraine’s digital transformation and integration into the EU’s Digital Single Market by enhancing the efficiency and security of public service delivery, improving access for citizens and businesses in Ukraine while aligning with EU requirements. Additionally, the project provided rapid response to urgent needs arising from the war.
Read more about the project undertakings and achievements >>>
