Connection to citizens key to Kyiv’s resilience, says CIO

At Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona last week, representatives from the City of Kyiv gave booth visitors an unusual trade show keepsake: a fragment from the city’s Glass Bridge, which was damaged by – but withstood – a Russian missile strike and is being repaired.

The delegation from Kyiv, including Mayor Vitali Klitschko and Chief Information Officer Oleg Polovynko, travelled to the event to share a message about the power of digital tools to make a city more resilient, as they have seen since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.

The Smart City Expo Awards jury gave Kyiv a ‘special recognition’ award for digital resilience.

The Kyiv Digital app, launched in 2021, has been central to this. Before the war, residents could use the app to buy transport tickets and pay for parking and utility bills. It was rapidly transformed into a lifesaving tool which sends air raid warnings and air quality updates, shows residents where bomb shelters are, and provides information about power cuts and how to get food and medical support.

Mayor Klitschko said: “It’s very important in this situation to communicate with people, to give them hope, support everyone…and give objective information and instructions.”

Two-way channel

At the beginning of the war, Kyiv’s app had around 1.3 million users and now has 2.1 million.

“We have become very resilient with our citizens. Everybody is now expecting information from the application – this is a trusted resource,” Polovynko told Cities Today.

The app does not only push information out, though – it’s a two-way tool and this has been an important factor in the war response.

“Thanks to the electronic democracy services, we have very good feedback from our citizens, we know their needs and we understand them quite closely,” Polovynko commented. “They drive us.”

Previously, citizens could use features in the app to make requests and suggestions or launch petitions. These would be sent to the city government if they garnered enough supporting votes from other residents.

Now the city uses this tool to understand what residents need in a fast-changing crisis.

The maps and critical information shared in the app, such as which pharmacies are open and where to get food, were the result of “this negotiation and contact” with citizens. This was essential, for example, when Google temporarily disabled some map features in Ukraine for safety reasons.

Residents can also submit evidence of suspected Russian war crimes to the app as well as information about bomb damage.

Polovynko said the pandemic, climate change, social changes and now the war had highlighted the shocks that cities can face and he believes a close connection with residents is key to endurance.

“Cities have to be the digital platform for all citizens and maximise the short connection to be flexible, to be resilient to the challenges that there will be – and I believe that we cannot even imagine what they will be.”

Kyiv began investing in smart city and digitalisation projects around 2016 and the mayor said he thought many people would be surprised by how much the city has advanced.

“Such an application is not present in every capital of Europe,” Polovynko commented. “We have a lot of feedback from Ukrainians that we are quite digitalised.”

He added that some Ukrainians in Europe had found the experience of accessing local services challenging.

Security and sustainability

Another digital tool that has proved useful in the crisis is Diia, a national programme that allows Ukrainian citizens to store and share digital documents. Many used Diia to access COVID-19 aid and vaccine certification but since the war it has gained further importance for refugees seeking assistance abroad.

In addition, Polovynko said he was thankful for online education systems developed during the pandemic because they mean children can still continue to learn and retain some continuity with their classmates and teachers wherever they are.

The city’s challenges are changing fast and key issues now are power and water access following Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.

The city’s digital strategy must evolve too. Polovynko said the focus for the team is less on the speed of developing digital services and launching new projects, and more on robustness, security and sustainability.

Leading in a crisis

Polovynko said that being a public servant during the war had been an ultimate “stress test” with staff having to balance working to keep the city functioning with terrible situations like evacuating their families.

“My usual heart rate is about 70,” he said. “In the first five days, it didn’t go below 100.”

He credited leadership from Mayor Klitschko, a former heavyweight boxing champion, with helping the team prioritise and keep going.

“It’s a lot of adrenaline, a lot of activities, and you have to show leadership in this moment and be strong. That’s what came from the role of our leader and this helps the team be more united.”

Asked if he had any message for other cities and technology companies, Polovynko commented: “For all cities and citizens, I want to ask you to use technology for peaceful projects.

“Cities in future have to be united around the citizens’ priorities and that is what helps us to be resilient to all challenges.”