What the Apps Ukrainians Are Downloading Tell Us About Their Situation

Summary

In response to the Russian invasion, Ukrainians are downloading apps like Starlink, Air Alarm Ukraine, and VPNs to maintain connectivity, receive critical alerts, and access uncensored information, reflecting the shift in daily life necessitated by the conflict.

Abstract

The digital response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has seen a significant shift in the types of apps Ukrainians are downloading, with a focus on maintaining communication and ensuring personal safety. The Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, played a key role in securing Starlink satellite equipment from Elon Musk, which has become essential for connectivity amidst widespread infrastructure damage. The Starlink app has topped the download charts, replacing the Air Alarm Ukraine app, which had previously been crucial for air raid alerts and locating shelters. Other popular apps include news and alerts, instant messengers, digital identification, video conferencing tools, and financial apps, indicating a blend of survival needs and attempts to maintain normalcy. In contrast, Russians are downloading VPNs to bypass government censorship and access unfiltered information, highlighting the stark differences in information control between the two countries.

Opinions

The author expresses difficulty in comprehending the sudden need to download survival-critical apps due to war, highlighting a generational and experiential gap.
There is an appreciation for the Ukrainian government's digital savviness, particularly noting the youthful Minister of Digital Transformation and his role in securing Starlink support.
The author acknowledges the importance of communication technologies in modern warfare, not only for military purposes but also for civilian survival and access to truthful information.
The use of apps in Ukraine is seen as a window into the daily realities of living in a conflict zone, where smartphones have become tools for survival.
The contrast between the types of apps downloaded in Ukraine versus Russia reflects broader issues of censorship and the pursuit of free information under oppressive regimes.

Staying connected to make sure the truth doesn’t stop at the border

As a result of the installation of this communications equipment, which, as Musk himself warned, must be used carefully to avoid becoming a target for attacks, the Starlink application that allows connection to these antennas to obtain coverage on mobile devices has become the most downloaded app in Ukraine, given the widespread destruction of infrastructure and the obvious difficulty of achieving connectivity by other means.

For someone like me, who belongs to a generation of Spaniards that has never lived through war, the idea of being subjected overnight to a situation that requires new apps for a matter of survival is hard to imagine. In fact, Starlink’s app replaced another app, Air Alarm Ukraine, in the lists of the most downloaded apps in Ukraine. That app provides users not only with air raid warnings, but can also provide the location of shelters on Google Maps, and in addition, connect with the security services, the defense ministry, a helpline, and other vital aids.

Other popular apps being downloaded in Ukraine at the moment are news and alerts, instant messengers such as Signal and Telegram, a personal digital identification app, video conferencing apps such as Zoom and Google Meet, Google Translate, and others ranging from entertainment (books, games, etc.) to financial apps, payment apps, and VPNs. In Russia, on the other hand, it seems clear that people are trying to obtain information from outside the country, unfiltered by the very strong iron curtain set up by Vladimir Putin: Up to twelve of the twenty most downloaded apps in the country are VPNs.

I find it very hard to imagine a situation where I would be forced, from one day to the next, to download apps to receive information on which nothing less than my survival or that of my family depends. To some extent, the apps downloaded in a war zone where people are accustomed to using smartphones on a daily basis and staying connected can provide some idea what it means to be in such a situation.

(En español, aquí)

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