Since the first Russian missile strike on Ukraine on February 24th, there have been two fronts in the war: the battlegrounds and the information war. The latter is being successfully managed by the IT Army of Ukraine – created in response to the invasion by the Ministry of Digital Transformation – with help from IT Stand For Ukraine, Army SOS, Creative Sich, and other organisations.
Ukrainian tech companies, thousands of cyber volunteers, and individual specialists have now joined this impressive collective effort. Up and down the country cyber groups have been formed for one purpose: to protect their state and people.
The information war effort has inevitably changed the lives of many within the tech-sector. Numerous individuals began volunteering in their free time, and others switched to working part-time to dedicate more time to cyber warfare. Increasingly, more companies are offering flexible schedules: one of these is UA IT Hub.
The informational counter-offensive
In addition to protecting Ukrainian cyberspace, the tech community has launched a huge counter-offensive. Hundreds of cyberattacks have been carried out, and various secret databases, websites of state bodies, and key enterprises were hacked.
Coordination occurs through various social networks and Internet platforms, particularly Telegram and DOU.ua. Ukrainian specialists have already hacked more than 80 databases that are critical for the aggressor country: these are databases of citizens and businesses that contain sensitive data. The wear on Russia is evident: the social media company VKontakte is reportedly unable to buy servers.
Tech volunteers from the Army SOS organisation have developed software that helps the artillery to fire better and faster. One notable example from this cyber army is the system they created for intelligence planning and coordination on the battlefield, called ComBat. It allows the real-time monitoring of soldiers and units during combat missions, as well as the ability to give instructions.
Also playing a role are the IT Army Of Ukraine: a community of tech specialists from all over the world who united after the start of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Specialists of various levels have created and continue to create automated systems of attacks on information resources and services of an enemy country. During the 6 months of the war, the IT Army blocked more than 6,000 online resources.
Finally, Creative Sich is a project that unites and coordinates creative industry specialists to fight on the information front. The goal of the organisation is to convey important messages about Ukraine to the world. The participants of Creative Sich make posters, and memes, edit videos, write texts, help posts to rise in the algorithms of social networks, and perform other important tasks that help bring Ukraine closer to victory.
UA IT Hub as a volunteer sponsor
Evidently, Ukrainian tech businesses need to be able to offer flexible working conditions to make such volunteering in the information war possible. Ukrainian company UA IT Hub is one such company, and they are currently appealing to businesses in North America and Europe to use Ukrainian tech expertise for their development needs. The company was founded in April 2022, and by May, the first client had signed up.
UA IT HUB providing new career opportunities to those who lost their jobs due to the war. Through their work with numerous clients across Europe and North America, many new flexible jobs have been created for Ukrainian tech workers. The purpose of UA IT Hub is to find project work for Ukrainian techies who require extra schedule flexibility due to the realities of war. UA IT Hub does not set strict working hours, and all specialists work remotely.
This company enables talented technical specialists to show the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people even during such difficult times. Crucially, UA IT Hub pays for the work of specialists on volunteer projects as well as regular working hours. Some engineers require additional time to work on technological initiatives for their government, such as creating both defensive and offensive cybersecurity systems. The UA IT Hub assembles IT teams with the perfect balance of skills and time availability to meet the demands of businesses. A wide range of skill sets—from machine learning to cybersecurity to app development—are represented in the company.
UA IT HUB’s CEO Ivan claims that Ukraine is an excellent place to do business: firstly, the tax and salary documentation is easy; secondly, there are good incentives for new digital business (such as no income tax for the first few years). UA IT Hub is engaged in various interesting projects across a wide range of sectors. Specialists have developed an MVP in the digital healthcare space, for example.
Of particular interest is a project aimed at assisting with the rebuilding of Ukraine. The country has suffered significant losses from Russian aggression, with estimates of a 104 billion dollar rebuilding cost. Seeing the opportunity to apply their expertise and joint efforts, the founders of UA IT HUB together with representatives of the Canadian architectural company WZMH, united to find a solution for the reconstruction of the country and cities. They have already developed a modular solution for rebuilding apartment complexes throughout the country - including new greenfield solutions
