In 2019, Ukraine was once again included in the list of the most corrupt countries in the world, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index. For years, the lack of transparency and shady processes of obtaining basic public services—traits inherited from the USSR—had given rise to grassroots corruption and nepotism throughout Ukrainian society. No wonder why people had been distrustful of the government and public officials, and associated public services only with stress and loss of time or money.

To prevent corruption and make public services more accessible, the previous government of Ukraine made attempts to digitize them. But using such electronic services was still difficult: they were scattered on the websites of various ministries that did not interact with each other. The services themselves remained complex and confusing.

This time it had to be different. The newly established Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine set about transforming an outdated system and creating a digital state that would provide prompt and stress-free online services as a one-stop shop.

But how to make the bureaucratic behemoth work in a new way?