Ukraine could still win the war but may lose its digital sovereignty if it cannot afford to replace free cloud services now cut off by the conflict. That warning comes from Maxim Ageyev, who runs a data center under constant threat of Russian airstrikes.
Ageyev told Digi.no that many Ukrainian businesses and government agencies relied on free cloud storage and computing before the full-scale invasion. When those services ended in 2023, costs surged. Local providers now charge up to ten times more, he said, pricing out smaller organizations.
His data center in Dnipro operates with backup generators and reinforced walls. Staff sleep in shifts to keep systems running during blackouts. Ageyev said the facility hosts critical infrastructure for energy, banking and logistics. Downtime is not an option.
The shift has exposed a wider problem. Ukraine’s digital infrastructure was built on foreign free tiers and discounts. Now, with budgets tight and foreign aid focused on weapons, few can pay the new rates. Ageyev warned that without affordable alternatives, Ukraine’s digital recovery will slow.
Government officials have acknowledged the issue. In February, the Ministry of Digital Transformation launched a program to help local providers expand. But Ageyev said progress is slow. Many providers lack funds to upgrade networks or buy equipment. The war has made investment risky.
For now, Ageyev’s team works 24/7 to keep services online. But he fears that if costs stay high, Ukraine’s digital future may depend on foreign companies—or worse, fall behind entirely.
Source: digi.no