How Kyiv Became a Leader in Digital Services Amid Wartime Strain
The Ukraine capital’s app has been almost universally adopted by residents, as officials have pivoted from a focus on convenience to safety.
Oleg Polovynko, advisor on digitalization to the mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine, during the Bloomberg CityLab Conference in Mexico City, Mexico, on Oct. 15, 2024.
Photographer: Alejandro Cegarra/BloombergDespite being the capital of a country at war, the city of Kyiv has one of the most thoroughly digitalized governments in the world. For ordinary Kyivans, processes as diverse as buying transportation tickets, finding air raid shelter locations and even participating in direct democracy have shifted to an app.
The city achieved this in part by turning adversity to practical advantage after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, said Oleg Polovynko, digitalization adviser for the mayor of Kyiv.