From a site in the Ukraine that has not been surveyed —for security reasons—, we interviewed Alex BornyakovDeputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, on the importance of technology in this war, considered the first fully digital. A Ministry that he has led since 2019, and that had to change its approach and policies from one day to the next to adapt to the invasion of Russia that they have suffered since February 24, 2022.
There are people who the first thing they do when they wake up is look at their mobile to see their WhatsApp messages, likes in their social networks or the events of the morning. But Bornyakov he was never informed of current affairs as soon as he woke up. That was for later. Now, instead, it’s the first thing he thinks about every morning. To know what the latest news is the ukrainian warhis country.
It is not the first time that Ukraine, specifically this Ministry, has had to take technological measures linked to Russia. In 2014, after the country ruled by Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea, practically all telecommunications companies in Ukraine were Russian-owned. When Bornyakov entered the Ministry in 2019, he began the process to disassociate himself from Russia in this regard. This move to break ties with Russia has become one of the smartest moves of this cabinet.
Since the Russian invasion began, the goal was not only to digitize all official services, but to do everything possible to fight the war in Ukraine. “We want to support people who have to leave their homes because of the war, fight propaganda and help on the ‘cyber front’ because they are also trying to attack our digital infrastructure,” summarizes the deputy minister.
Cryptocurrencies as a transforming factor in the war in Ukraine
One of the best known initiatives was the cryptocurrency fund to obtain aid. “The IT sector in Ukraine is one of the strongest in the world and the blockchain community is very important. That is why we decided to create this fund and we had immediate feedback. So far we have raised more than 60 million dollars,” he explains.
private company Kuna It has helped the government with technical support and this public-private partnership, Bornyakov believes, has been the key to success. “If we had done everything from the government, surely it would have been a failure. But that is why we have a very good relationship with local companies and from all over the world. Alliances with them help avoid problems “, he points out in the interview conducted by Zoom.
The cryptocurrency fund has been one of the most important technological measures of the Government since the Ukraine war began. Thanks to him, they have more than 60 million dollars; but for the deputy minister it has served something else: “One of the lessons is that crypto is not just risky investments. It can help us if our national bank has problems receiving money from abroad (which happened at the beginning of the war), that can be resolved quickly.
The Technological Army of Ukraine led by Alex Bornyakov
The goals of Alex Bornyakov’s team changed practically overnight. In the last two years, the Ministry of Digital Transformation focused on turn Ukraine into a digital state. They want a modern government where everything can be done online. They also wanted to create the largest IT hub in Eastern Europe in this country, a project called Dia City. Now they want it too, but Russia has forced them to make a impassive to focus on other things first.
It is not the first time that technology has been shown to be a key tool in a conflict, but this is the first time that the war has reached a country with such an important technological capacity as Ukraine. For this reason, this Ministry has had to take measures that had never been considered before. The cryptocurrency fund to have more resources is an example.
Another is the telegram channel that the government has developed to create an “information technology army”. IT Army of Ukraine it is an open group for all in which the government defines activities so that computer hackers can carry them out voluntarily. Until now, 300,000 people from Ukraine and other countries have joined this channel.
Alex Bornyakov affirms that the tasks are aimed at preventing attacks on the digital infrastructure and fighting against propaganda. However, some experts have discouraged experts from joining to the “technological army” in the midst of the Ukraine war.
“While I fully understand the sentiment behind the actions of many in this IT army, two wrongs don’t make a right. Not only could it be illegal, but it risks playing into Putin’s hands by allowing him to talk about ‘attacks by the west,'” said Alan Woodward, professor of cybersecurity at the University of Surrey, for The Guardian.
However, the deputy minister insists that the objective of the channel pursues lawful objectives and that, in terms of disinformation, they also want the Russian population is not a victim of propaganda. “They need accurate information because they are losing soldiers and a lot of money due to sanctions in this Vladimir Putin war,” he stresses. hypertextual.
On the other hand, it stands out above all that the Ministry has no relationship with the people who help them. From Russia, it is difficult to end this group because there is no physical person or organization behind it. The government simply sends the operations that are crucial to cyber protection and someone does them. They don’t even know who the hackers or experts are helping them. It is a free, professional and anonymous support.
The technological ones do not look the other way
The war in Ukraine has had several unexpected companions, such as Manzana, Google, microsoft or airbnb. Technological companies have played a key role in this conflict. In the most direct way with donations such as that of Elon Musk, who has sent hundreds of Starlink antennas to ensure internet connection in areas where connectivity is not guaranteed.
PayPal has facilitated the sending of payments to Ukraine to help financially the victims of the war and Goal is working on a tool that allows connecting Ukrainians who need help. For example, to refugees who are in another country and need support of any kind.
In a more indirect way, large technology companies such as Manzana, Google or microsoft have been part of blockade of russia. “This is one of our priorities and so far about 400 companies have left Russia,” Alex Bornyakov stresses. The conversations of the Ministry of Digital Transformation with the companies have been directed to this end since the war in Ukraine began. In fact they have been given their own term, the “digital diplomacy”.
After a war, it is difficult to know what lessons have been learned. When violence covers everything, there is little left to learn. But if the Vice Minister of Digital Transformation had to choose which lesson can be taken at the technological level, he would say that security is the most important thing.
“If your security is weak, you can lose control of the media, electricity and many other things. Even official websites can have fake news due to a hack. Cybersecurity is key.”
Alex Bornyakov
Rebuilding war-torn Ukraine a priority for Alex Bornyakov
The war in Ukraine will be over one day and at that point Alex Bornyakov and his team will have to get on with their work. The plans they had before, however, will continue to be in the background because there will be more important needs. “We will have to restore our communications infrastructure. They have finished with that in many cities, they have bombed it and there is nothing left, everything is destroyed. We also have to rebuild new communication routes, towers, cables, internet… All this will be the priority “, he points out.
The Ministry will also bet on reducing taxes for digital and energy companies. They will continue to bet, of course, on alliances based on cryptocurrencies and blockchain.
There is a lot of work ahead. And sometimes it seems that the day is missing hours. Bornyakov remembers that not so long ago he had weekends. As deputy minister, he had some political plans. Now the horizon is different.
He gets up every morning and the first thing he does is read the news to see how things are going outside Ukraine. It does not separate from the mobile because these news cannot be late. “If we miss it, we can’t respond to what people need,” she stresses. She is aware that something has changed because she misses the warning that the Screen usage time has increased. And, if the war does not end soon, it will continue to increase.