������Ƶ

“In the history of our digital state, eRecovery is one of the most difficult services to implement and one of the easiest for the user. It is very important that the reconstruction process is as transparent and accessible to Ukrainians as possible. The eRecovery service is not just about submitting an application to Diia. This is data from a registry that records information and cannot be changed. It is verification of data in other registers. This is the work of the local commission and other tools, such as anti-fraud, which assess how effectively the funds received by citizens are used. There were no similar projects in the world.”
—Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation, , July 19, 2023

The groundwork for Ukraine’s current digital capabilities in administering public solutions and programs began before the 2022 invasion. Ukraine has built a global reputation as a country of innovative programmers, with a tech entrepreneur ecosystem that quickly transitioned from building start-ups to supporting war efforts and high rates of internet connectivity supporting a well-educated and tech-savvy population.

These foundational strengths are aligned with President Volodymyr Zelensky’s vision, announced in 2019, of creating a “.” Zelensky’s digital transformation plans, initially hoped to be reached by 2024, included major goals around the ubiquitousness of government services online, a digital skills development program, and an Information Technology (IT) sector representing 10 percent of the country’s GDP.

In 2020, Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation launched the Diia e-governance web portal and mobile application. For added context, Diia means “action” in English. The ministry moved methodically on system development, deployment, and scale. Ukraine is the first country in the world where have the same legal weight as the hard copy form of documents. Ukrainians can choose to use a and can access a legal feature in Diia allowing for the online creation of bank accounts or signing of contracts, among many other unique public services.

Video by e-Governance Academy on Trembita, the data exchange backbone of Ukrainian digital transformation, published on January 4, 2021.

Source: e-Governance Academy, YouTube video

This digital transformation under President Zelensky, scaled in a war environment and to date, is widely regarded as a model for and in the public sector. Adoption of Diia grew significantly after the Russian invasion; were using it to access over as of May 2023.

In response to the conflict, the Government of Ukraine extended Diia’s features to allow Ukrainians to report property damage or destruction. This “” service prompts citizens to upload details of their damaged or destroyed home, including photographic evidence and geo-location data. As part of the submission process, users can also describe the extent of the damage and provide additional pertinent information.

In spring 2023, the Government of Ukraine enacted legislation that established a procedure for compensating Ukrainians for these claims. (“Compensation Law”), adopted in March 2023, the compensation procedures for property damaged or destroyed after the outbreak of the full-scale war, as well as the types of claimants and property eligible for compensation. , adopted the following month, sets forth the operational procedures to apply for and receive compensation.

After the adoption of these two key measures, in May 2023, Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and its Ministry for Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure Development launched the program, which allows claimants to apply for and receive financial compensation for damaged property.

In December 2023, the Ukrainian government made an important update to the eRecovery program, allowing Ukrainians to a refund of up to 500,000 hryvnia (approximately $13,400) for repairs claimants had made themselves. By then, the reported that more than 566,000 property damage reports had been filed through Diia. Of those initial reports, 62,000 claims were completed via the eRecovery program and 25,000 damage claims were paid.

The Government of Ukraine has a for the restitution of destroyed housing. The program provides claimants with cash for the full reconstruction of a house or a certificate they can use to fund the construction of a home. According to Ukraine’s , as of November 2023, the government received 4,354 applications for the reconstruction of destroyed housing and provided 400 claimants with cash or housing certificates worth approximately $22.5 million.