Ukraine’s Digital State Must Keep Functioning During Wartime
With Ukraine’s digital infrastructure under relentless attack, ensuring the uninterrupted operation of its systems, data, and services is critical.
ESTDEV’s digital team met with Ukrainian government institutions and digital sector partners in Kyiv to find areas where Estonian expertise and international cooperation can best support the development of Ukraine’s digital state. The discussions focused on three priorities: resilient digital infrastructure, stronger cybersecurity and the development of public services. Working with Ukrainian partners, ESTDEV aims to design and implement initiatives that strengthen Ukraine’s long-term digital capabilities and help ensure that essential services remain operational even under challenging conditions.
Digital infrastructure must be resilient in times of crisis
In Kyiv, ESTDEV’s team discussed Ukraine’s needs in areas ranging from servers, data storage and secure networks to cloud services and hybrid solutions. Estonia’s experience in developing these technologies and systems can offer practical benefits to Ukraine.
“The work of government institutions and the availability of public services depend on the reliability of the digital infrastructure that supports them,” said Arturas Matšenas, ESTDEV’s e-Governance Project Manager. “Systems that can withstand cyberattacks, secure data storage and the ability to restore services quickly are all essential to keeping the Ukrainian state running. At the same time, Estonia has much to learn from Ukraine’s experience. Cooperation between our countries therefore benefits both sides.”
Matšenas said ESTDEV aims to support solutions that address Ukraine’s actual needs and help ensure the continuity of digital services.
“This requires technical investments to be part of a comprehensive approach that takes into account security, data protection and the ability to restore systems,” he said.
Cybersecurity requires practical preparedness
Discussions with partners also covered the continuation of cyber exercises and training, improving public awareness of cyber hygiene, developing secure networks and implementing Zero Trust principles.
Cooperation between Estonia and Ukraine is essential to strengthening the practical skills of people and institutions, enabling them to identify threats, respond to cyber incidents and restore systems quickly.
ESTDEV’s team highlighted its ability to connect Ukraine’s needs with Estonia’s practical experience and international cooperation opportunities. This creates opportunities to support initiatives that strengthen institutional capabilities and improve Ukraine’s readiness to respond to cyber threats.
Public digital services must meet people’s needs
The discussions also highlighted the need to develop open data initiatives, educational platforms, social services and services for veterans, as well as improve the use of health data, registries and data exchange. The potential applications of artificial intelligence were also discussed.
For several initiatives, Ukrainian partners need support from international partners to develop technical roadmaps and prepare projects for implementation.
According to Andres Ääremaa, ESTDEV’s Head of E-Governance and Cybersecurity, new initiatives must be based on clearly identified needs in the partner country and deliver long-term value. This is key to ensuring that the initiatives contribute to the development of Ukraine’s digital state while also strengthening the country’s national security.
“The meetings in Kyiv will help shape ESTDEV’s next digitalisation and cybersecurity projects in Ukraine. Together with our Ukrainian partners, we will further define the priorities and assess which initiatives will be most effective in strengthening digital infrastructure resilience, cybersecurity and the continuity of public services,” said Ääremaa.