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, lack of transparency in obtaining basic public services had given rise to grassroots corruption and nepotism throughout Ukrainian society. No wonder why people had been distrustful of the government, and associated public and state services with stress and wasted time.

To prevent corruption and make public services more accessible, the previous government of Ukraine made attempts to digitize them. However, instead it came down to the blind digitalization of the usual bureaucratic chaos.

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 The newly established Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine set about transforming an outdated system and creating a digital state that would provide prompt and stress-free online services as a one-stop shop.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