Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, now in its sixth month, is Europe’s worst conflict since World War II. In the year In the months since the February 24 war, the courage of the Ukrainian people has won worldwide acclaim. Many international observers are experiencing Ukraine for the first time and are learning that, in addition to their incredible resilience, Ukrainians are extremely innovative with a high level of digital literacy.
This technological sector strength is leading Ukraine’s response to Russian imperial aggression. It is enabling the country to challenge and in many cases defeat one of the world’s leading military superpowers. A startup culture that owes much to Ukraine’s vibrant IT industry is providing rapid solutions to front-line challenges in a way that the traditional Russian military simply cannot match.
The technological component of Ukraine’s battlefield success may not be as surprising as it might seem at first glance. In the year According to the 2022 Global Skills Report by Coursera, the country is among the top ten in the world for technology skills.
This top spot reflects the remarkable progress made in recent years to support the development of the country’s IT sector and to promote advanced digital literacy throughout Ukrainian society. Since 2019, the Ukrainian authorities have prioritized digital skills and sought to promote learning through the Diia.Digital Education online platform, which offers courses conducted by experts and celebrities as an “educational Netflix”.
This approach seems to be working. The platform currently has an 80% completion rate among those who sign up for courses. Nor did the Russian invasion stop Ukrainians from improving their IT skills. Since the start of the war, nearly 60,000 Ukrainians have signed up for courses, with the most popular topics being training for new tech-sector skills, media literacy and cyber hygiene.
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Before Putin launched his full-scale invasion on February 24, Ukraine’s focus on digital innovation was shaping the country. In the year In 2021, Ukraine became the first country to give digital passports the same legal status as physical passports for domestic use. Ukraine has become the fourth European country to introduce a digital driver’s license and has developed the world’s fastest online business registration service.
Today, despite the conditions of war, efforts to promote further digitization continue. This is recognized as essential to the war effort and is seen as an essential ingredient for Ukraine’s post-war recovery. I am convinced that technology-focused education initiatives should be a strategic priority for the country. In the year By 2025, 85% of all jobs will require digital skills.
Ukrainian authorities are currently supporting a project to train 5,000 displaced women for new careers in the creative and technology industries. There is huge demand for such technology-related retraining opportunities, with the application process for the first phase of the initiative attracting nearly 36,000 candidates.
A pilot project to improve computer studies in Ukrainian schools is also taking place on the back of the ongoing Russian invasion. The first phase will begin in September and will include 50 secondary schools, before reaching the whole country next year. Thanks to this project, approximately four million Ukrainian school children will have access to modern digital education.
Despite the war’s disruption, Ukraine’s vast transformation into a truly digital empire continues. This development is perhaps most visible in the context of the Dia.City project. Two weeks before the Russian invasion, Ukraine launched this unique economic initiative by offering tech companies some of the most attractive tax deals in the world. A total of 260 companies have been registered after the conflict, which continued to be registered by Ukrainian and international IT companies. Obviously, they believe in the victory of Ukraine and are confident about the future development of the country as a digital power.
Digital services have been launched to support those in the combat zone, allowing them to apply online for financial assistance. Likewise, the Dia Mobile app allows anyone to financially support the Ukrainian Army with just a few clicks. Ukrainians can use the country’s digital platforms to report news about Russian military deployments in their areas and submit digital reports detailing property damage.
A team of the Ministry of Digital Transformation is currently working with thousands of volunteers to wage a digital war against Russia on the information and cyber fronts. The ministry has started creating Ukraine’s own IT army, which will gather specialists from Ukraine and other countries around the world. Today, this army consists of more than 250,000 IT volunteers in what is widely known as the world’s first cyber war.
Ukraine’s innovative use of technology is enabling the country to punch above its weight and defend itself against a larger enemy. This experience will be studied for years to come as an example of how digital literacy and technological capabilities can erase traditional military strength and transform the modern battlefield. The future of the world will be shaped by technology, and today’s Ukraine is at the forefront.
Valeria Ionan is Deputy Minister of Euro Integration of Ukraine at the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
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Image: A Dia app released by Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation is seen on a smartphone in Tokyo, Japan, April 19, 2022, as Russia invades Ukraine. (Photo by AFLO)
