What is the role of digital services in national security?

This talk explores how Ukraine transformed its public services from fragmented, paper-based systems into a single digital platform, and how that shift helped the country continue to function during one of the most challenging crises in modern history.

Tania will walk through how Diia, Ukraine’s main digital government platform, evolved from the idea of a “state in a smartphone” to the key design decisions that made rapid scaling possible. She'll share how focusing on users and building a platform, not just individual services, allowed the government to launch high-impact services quickly and build trust with millions of users before the full-scale invasion.

She will then talk about the turning point of the war, when digital services became the main and sometimes the only way for people to access government support and share how Diia adapted in real time to deliver emergency financial aid, enable damaged property reporting, and support other critical needs.

Finally, Tania will reflect on how Diia evolved from a national product into a key layer of the country’s resilience. Today, Ukrainian experts are sharing this experience globally, advising other governments and contributing to the broader conversation on digital public infrastructure and national resilience.