Tracing Patterns — At Least Four Things Ukraine Is Better At Than USA & Oz
The world seems to hold the view that Ukraine is a developing place. In some ways, especially in regional towns and country areas, it certainly still is. Any car trip reminds your ass of that undeniable fact.
But there are so many ways that Ukraine is actually more modern than the other two societies I know reasonably well, Australia or the USA. (And, here I won’t make the very obvious points about bravery and military success, as I’m trying to chill after a week with a couple of field visits.)
Here’s an incomplete list:
Internet. Mobile phone and data services in Ukraine are outstanding. Cheap, plenty of data and connectivity, terrific customer service, and super-fast and easy to get things done with any of the companies in a very vibrant sector. In Australia, try talking to Telstra. In the US, it’s taken me up to 2 hours of surly customer non-service and sheets of paperwork to just get a (non-burner) phone for a few months.
Remember what base Ukraine is coming off too: in the early 90s, I recall waiting at Soviet-era post offices in country towns to make a call that went through three operators at least. Now, Ukrainian telephony and internet are world-class technically and as a customer experience.
Digital government. There was recently a NSW Minister — who I may have worked for at one point — who would very publicly and proudly announced that his Government was changing a form from paper to on-line. Obviously, it was great for selfies too. He was hailed as a revolutionary!
Here in Ukraine, full e-government has been a reality since 2020. An on-line platform and app that everyone has and trusts called DIIA (which means action) does everything from show you how much tax you’ve paid, take your vote in participatory community-based budgeting, let you access your own health records, renew your license and car registration, get grants for your business etc. Literally: everything in one place.
And, it’s a national level app integrated across all levels of government. Australians and Americans — it’s actually possible! I know that ‘horses for courses’, local situations, blah-blah… what a load of bullshite. It just takes will.
Right now, the Government will be using DIIA to automate the whole massive process of reporting damage your property has sustained during the invasion, transparently prioritising claims, and then providing financial support for reconstruction. You don’t even have to post photos of the damage. You enter an address and the app compares / contrast satellite and street view imagery from before and after.
News. The media sector here, even in wartime, is extremely competitive and extremely fast. There are dozens and dozens of outlets and they provide so much content across so many platforms, including Telegram and Viber. And, people know what’s going on all the time — whether that’s in international relations, battlefield developments, local politics, or in-coming missiles.
Working as a journo now, it makes me really think about my stories. How do they provide something new, how do they capture voices that haven’t yet been heard, how are they poignant… It makes me better at what I do because, in part, if I’m honest, I want to be better than other scribblers.
In the US, there’s limited trust of journalism due to the red/blue divide. People are always challenging each other about their “sources” and it creates a kind of post-truth reality. In Australia, concentration of media ownership — and frankly a bit of laziness — doesn’t optimally serve the public. It dumbs down our content.
Supermarkets. Ukrainian supermarkets — whether that’s the big city ones or even ones in towns — are consistently incredible. The product ranges are very wide and the quality is excellent across all SKUs. The interiors are models of good design.
In the comparison of Oz, they’re more like David Jones Food Halls than they are like a typical Coles or Woolies. American supermarkets are another story — they reflect the massive economic disparities and geographical differences of that country. There’s no benchmark per se.
The question that expats constantly ask themselves — but Ukrainians take totally for granted — is HOW? How in the middle of a war — with no air access and very limited maritime access — do the supply chains keep working at this level of efficiency? Other than for one period when fuel was in short supply and rationed, there have been few shortages of anything, whether that’s basic food stuffs or higher-end products.
It’s typical of Ukrainians. It doesn’t always look like it on the surface, and understanding it as an outsider can be challenging, but Ukrainians just know how to get stuff done.
I always think of the example of pizzerias. They have been a key way people kept themselves fed under occupation and that food was delivered to battlefield positions. Units were ordering pies on Uber — and often those pies were paid for by on-line donors straight to the pizza shop. Kinda amazing.
(Below is a photo of KHA pizza as in Kharkiv. It’s a new mini-chain here in Kyiv that’s become really popular for its ‘square’ shape and great toppings. And, of course, it was founded by some entrepreneurial displaced people only months ago.)
