Developing e-government under cyber threats and Russia’s war: Ukraine’s Diia platform

Digital democracy used to be an aspiration of the ‘old’ internet culture. Some saw it as an entirely new system, much more participatory and grounded in libertarian values, while others expected an upgraded democracy and a digitalization of public services and government-citizens interactions. A few decades later, democracy has received a digital upgrade, but mostly for public services. One such remarkable achievement is Ukraine’s Diia platform, which launched in 2020 and gained significant public attention in 2023 amidst Russia’s full-scale war of aggression. Ukraine has been a target of Russia’s hybrid warfare since 2014, from covert military attacks, illegal annexations, disinformation campaigns, to cyberattacks. Despite this, Kyiv managed to promote and implement its e-government platform in the middle of Russia’s hybrid war and then full-blown war against the country. Estonia is another relevant example of e-government, having also boosted its efforts for e-government after Russian cyberattacks. This paper analyzes Ukraine’s Diia platform and examines the cybersecurity challenges that the country faces in maintaining e-government services online and secure against the multitude of cyber operations and malware targeting them, either from cybercriminals or state actors. This discussion will begin with a brief literature review focused on e-government and cybersecurity. Ukraine’s case will be taken into consideration alongside Estonia’s example, but the focus will remain on Diia and Ukraine’s cybersecurity policies and practices, including international partnerships. Moreover, the paper puts forward several recommendations derived from Ukraine’s experience, including strenghtening cybersecurity measures for all e-government developments, bolstering international partnerships, and implementing lessons learned from other countries. The findings offer insights for practitioners, policymakers, and scholars focus on digital governance, e-government, and cybersecurity.