Digital resilience of Ukraine in the International Arena

This year, from 9 to 11 October, an international conference titled “Organizations and Institutions in Times of War: Ukraine, Eastern Europe and Beyond” was held in Regensburg, Germany. Scholars from various countries gathered to discuss how war affects state institutions and society.

As part of the panel “From Reform to Resilience: Institutional Transformation of Democracy in Ukraine”, BRIDGE project researcher from the University of Tartu, Dmytro Khutkyy, presented a talk titled: “Digital democracy in Ukraine — reforms in times of peace, resilience in times of war”. Key questions included: What is the general state and role of digital democracy in Ukraine? How does it contribute to societal resilience during the war? And what are its achievements and challenges?

In his research, he outlined a comprehensive perspective on the development of digital democracy in Ukraine, which dates back to 2014. At that time, the mobilization of civic protest after the Revolution of Dignity transformed into volunteer support for the army and numerous e-activism initiatives.

The full-scale invasion of russia in 2022 spurred Ukrainian society and the government to rapidly mobilize digital tools. In response to russian cyberattacks, Ukraine deployed its own counteroffensive and cyber defense system, which serves as a prominent example of digital resilience.

Dmytro presented four main pathways of Ukraine’s digital resistance:

1. Governmental: official state protection systems.
2. Grassroots: initiatives emerging from ordinary citizens and communities.
3. Multilateral, government-led: joint projects between the state and the IT community.
4. Multilateral, hacktivist-led: alliances of independent cyber activists.

According to the researcher, these directions already combine a blurred but stable mix of hierarchy and heterarchy. However, there is a noticeable asymmetry between the state and the IT community, with a missing link. Once the government, grassroots initiatives, and joint projects find a point of synergy, the effectiveness of Ukraine’s societal resilience will increase significantly. 

During networking, a contact was established with the research group Denkraum Ukraine / Think Space. The conference became a vibrant platform for exchanging ideas — from discussing the ethics of doing business in Russia to analyzing Ukraine’s democratic landscape. Dmytro noted that although the level of awareness among German politicians, scholars, and citizens has significantly increased since the full-scale invasion, there is still a need for further research to better inform them about the ongoing context of the war in Ukraine.