Digital transformation and reskilling are challenges in the best of times, but Ukraine’s work in introducing technology to its population during wartime is a unique success story.
Despite a full-scale Russian invasion that occurred nearly four years ago and continues today, the Ukrainian government continues to work towards President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s goal of building a “state in a smartphone,” which is now evolving into a “proxy state” with advances in artificial intelligence.
The government is doing this through Diia, an integrated digital platform and super app that provides access to streamlined public services, business resources, and digital literacy education.
“Our main goal is to enable all Ukrainians to be competitive, get well-paid jobs and succeed in life,” said Valeria Ionan, advisor to Mykhailo Fedorov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for Innovation, Education and Science. Ionan spearheads the free edutainment platform Diia.Education.
According to a government report, 60% of Ukrainians between the ages of 18 and 70 use Diia to perform online public services, an increase of 24% since 2021. In Ukraine, more than 160 public services are available through apps, including e-marriage (one of Time magazine’s best inventions of 2024).
As for Diia.Education, nearly 3 million Ukrainians have used it, and 75% of them have completed the course (which is significantly higher than the industry standard, which can be as low as 5%). This education increased digital literacy by 12.5% in 2023 and 10.5% in 2025. In the last two years, Ukraine has published research (reduced due to the exodus of highly skilled Ukrainians during the war and rapid technological progress).
Users of all ages can use the platform to improve their digital skills, earn certificates, learn how to use online services, and discover new careers. All of this helps people stay economically active during displacement, relocation, unemployment, or job changes caused by war.
According to the global think tank United Nations University, while emerging technologies raise concerns about job losses, digital literacy can “build bridges to opportunities in emerging sectors” and “further enhance access to remote work and the gig economy, creating employment opportunities for historically marginalized groups.”
Moreover, even basic digital literacy can help protect Ukrainians in what is widely considered the most technological war in history.
“Ukraine has been a testing ground for Russian cyberweapons for the past decade,” said Jeremiah Fowler, a cybersecurity researcher and co-founder of Security Discovery, which has uncovered thousands of data breaches and frauds.
“The weakest link in any cybersecurity scenario is the human side,” Fowler said. “That kind of basic knowledge helps people think, ‘Maybe I don’t want to download this software or click on this mysterious link.’ That’s a really good first step in defense.” He added that Diia employs top instructors who would normally charge high fees to share that knowledge.
Diia.Education and its broader Diia ecosystem is award-winning and ranked in a variety of global indicators, and has evolved despite missile attacks, power outages, and conscription that changed the lives of Ukrainians.
Fowler is originally from the United States and lived in Ukraine for 14 years. He has been based in Germany since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, but travels back and forth regularly. He recognizes that “many Ukrainians simply do not have the luxuries that people outside combat zones have, such as taking a gap year or settling for an outdated education.” “People are really working on whatever skills they have because of the uncertainty.”
In the United States, public-private partnerships in technology education exist, such as the Virginia Has Jobs program, a state initiative with Google that works to close the gap in AI education for students and workers. However, many of these education efforts are siled within the private sector, with reskilling happening within companies.
Diia.Education in Ukraine was first launched in 2023 with the help of a $2 million grant from Google.org. The free lifelong learning platform joins the wider Diia ecosystem, which was first launched in 2019 under the newly launched Ministry of Digital Transformation. Diia.Education is integrated with the national job platform and supported by more than 5,000 offline education hubs across the country, providing access to those without stable connectivity. In Ukraine, 19% of adults do not have access to the internet via a fixed broadband connection (compared to 9% in the US).
Ukraine has developed a program for librarians on how to facilitate the first contact with computers for people with limited access to the Internet and for the elderly. Using these government resources, libraries across the country have launched workshops to promote digital literacy, no matter who’s starting point.
“This training opened new opportunities to communicate with my grandchildren and helped me keep up with the times with confidence,” Lyudmila Perkun, a senior citizen from Ukraine who knows how to pay her utility bills online, said in a case study.
Ukraine broadcasts basic education videos on network television, and people are directed to Diia.Education to learn more. As an added incentive, certain individuals are eligible to receive 1,000 hryvnia (approximately $25) as a sign-up bonus on the main Diia app.
Diia.Education is an edutainment platform, but it is not a competitor in the market. “Our main objective is to promote the market, not participate in it,” Ionan said. “We work with almost all edtech providers. We use their content and do many partnership projects.”
Mr. Fowler believes that Ukraine’s efforts to educate its citizens are a great example of investing in its people. “Just like any other investment, you want it to grow and blossom and get a return on your investment,” he said. “In this case, the return on investment is earned by educated people with higher incomes. Higher incomes allow them to pay taxes better and have more opportunities, because these educated people start businesses and hire other people. It’s a knock-on effect of not trying to make it a profit model for shareholders, just doing the basics.”
