Prior to the war, Kyiv Digital was the official city app to buy tickets for transport and pay for parking or utility bills in the Ukrainian capital. Now it has been transformed into a life-saving tool that provides warnings of air raids and directs people to the nearest bomb shelter or garage with petrol supplies.
The app’s focused changed in just 24 hours as Russia invaded, with help of the country’s chief digital transformation officer, Kyiv deputy mayor Petro Olenych. The app has already shared maps of bomb shelters, shared information on how to support the army and links to official sources of information, as well as issued thousands of warnings and alerts.
The app has quickly become one of the top free applications in the Ukrainian app store, with over 1.5 million users. A spokesperson outlined the novelties in the app which include: "a map of bomb shelters, map of available pharmacies and the access of insulin, a map of grocery stores, a map of points with free water and bread, pet shops, humanitarian headquarters, and more".
As part of the digital war support, the government have also enhanced wifi access across the city. Google has also rolled out rapid air alert systems for android phones in Ukraine at the request of the Ukrainian government. The app has become essential for many Kyivans, with public transport several limited, as it can prevent drivers facing long queues or searches for fuel through its map of working petrol stations.
In addition, the European Commission have published information for people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
As well as providing information on preparing to leave, and rights in the EU, a list of free travel options offered by European Transport companies is included. This covers diverse transport options across a wide range of Member states which people fleeing from Ukraine can use free of charge.
For further information on these travel options, and the Kyiv Digital app, please visit the following websites:
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- Publication date
- 18 March 2022
- Country
- Ukraine