Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1542142
these funds properly and to reform and modernize the armed forces from the top down." Ukrainian society has very low trust in its state and institutions, which — combined with an awareness of how long and difficult it is to build effective institutions — produces a grassroots initiative for change in the military, because everyone realizes that without these changes there will be no state and no reforms of its institutions. Ukrainian society holds volunteers — who are the source of change inside the military — and the volunteer movement that supports those changes from the outside in very high regard and trusts them. That creates a situation in which it is politically advantageous for politicians to involve these people in the reform process and to support the changes they propose, because that brings them votes in subsequent elections. That process is the true driver of change in the Ukrainian army — as is, of course, Vladimir Putin's desire to destroy Ukraine. PART 2. DEVELOPMENT OF THE IT SECTOR AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE CIVIL SECTOR In Ukraine, as in Poland, the IT industry has undergone enormous change over the last decade. Growth reached many tens of percent annually and it was the fastest-growing sector of the economy. In the Ukrainian context the importance of this development was even greater than in Poland: major economic sectors such as extraction, energy and heavy industry are monopolized by oligarchs, so the IT sector became like a breath of fresh air in a stagnant room. Legions of young people saw in this sector the possibility of good earnings and fulfillment without having to emigrate in search of a better life. From 2010, IT services exports from Ukraine rose from $404 million to $7.3 billion in the pre- war year of 2021. After the full-scale war began in 2022, despite the massive population outflow from Ukraine, despite loss of infrastructure, contraction of the Ukrainian economy and mobilization of men into the military, the IT sector proved to be one of the most resilient to crisis and its exports fell only slightly compared with the pre-war period. The development of this sector created an entire class of well-paid young people, and the presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky decided to win the sympathy of this youth in the 2019 elections with slogans about creating a "state in a smartphone," inviting young programmers into his team and painting a picture of a future in which this youth would play an important role in the country's modernization. In this way, the digital transformation became an important issue in Ukraine and a key aspect of the new president's policy. At the same time, after 2014 a digital services sector rapidly developed in Ukraine: domestic e-commerce platforms, payment systems and modern online banking emerged. In 2019 President Zelensky established the Ministry of Digital Transformation. The www.fragoutmag.com