A new phase of municipal services digitalisation has begun in Zhytomyr Region. It includes the launch of the Local Public Services Portal, the connection of additional communities, and the expansion of available online services. Kitsoft developed the technological foundation for this initiative, creating a platform that enables communities to launch new digital services independently.
On October 1, the project “Development of Digital Municipal Services for Vulnerable Groups in Zhytomyr Region” began. It is implemented by the Estonian e-Governance Academy (eGA) in cooperation with the Zhytomyr Regional Military Administration, with support from the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV). The project aims to strengthen communities' capacity to provide local public services online while ensuring digital inclusion and accessibility.
From platform development to scaling digital services
eGA and ESTDEV have been working with Zhytomyr Region on the digitalisation of municipal services since 2024. During this time, the team has assessed the needs of local communities and, together with its partners, developed the Local Public Services Portal and the first digital services for veterans in Zhytomyr Region.
Estonia has identified Zhytomyr Region as one of its key focus regions for supporting Ukraine's recovery and development. According to Andres Ääremaa, ESTDEV's Head of Cybersecurity and e-Governance Programme, cooperation with partners capable of delivering sustainable results on the ground plays an important role in this effort.
eGA has become one of our most trusted partners in advancing digital transformation in Zhytomyr, helping communities develop accessible, user-centred digital services that improve people's daily interaction with local authorities. We are pleased to continue this cooperation and support the scaling of solutions that bring tangible benefits to citizens across the region.
— Andres Ääremaa
During the kick-off meeting, the partners presented the project and announced the upcoming launch of the Local Public Services Portal for Zhytomyr Region. The Portal is designed to become a single point of access to local services online, allowing users to select a service, submit an application, and track its status through their personal account.
Image: Meeting of project partners to advance digital municipal services in Zhytomyr Region.
The Portal's first digital services have been developed for veterans. They are designed to simplify access to local services, allowing veterans to submit applications online and receive the support they need without unnecessary visits to public institutions. The Portal is currently operating in test mode with the participation of community representatives.
The project also includes expanding the range of digital services, connecting additional communities, and integrating the Portal with the Vulyk information system to link online services with the work of Administrative Service Centres.
Zhytomyr Oblast is consistently advancing its digital transformation and developing modern services that make interaction between people and public authorities simpler and more convenient. Importantly, we are not starting from scratch today — we are building on solutions that have already been developed and expanding them to new communities. The next step will be to digitalise another five municipal services and connect around ten communities in the region to the Portal. This means that more and more residents of Zhytomyr Oblast will be able to access local services online, without unnecessary time costs or the need to visit public institutions in person.
— Kostiantyn Lopushanskyi, Deputy Head of the Zhytomyr Regional Military Administration for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalisation
The platform's technological foundation
The Local Public Services Platform for Zhytomyr Region is built on Liquio, a low-code platform developed by Kitsoft. It enables the reuse of existing processes and integrations with state registries, significantly simplifying the development of new digital services.
We designed the Local Public Services Platform to enable communities to bring their services online faster and launch new ones independently. For residents, this means easier access to local services without unnecessary visits to public institutions. For communities, it provides a way to gradually expand the range of digital services and make them available to more people. The next phase of the project will build on this by connecting new communities and launching new services.
— Oleksandr Iefremov, CEO of Kitsoft
Liquio provides the technological foundation for Ukraine's Diia government portal. It has also been used to develop more than 200 digital public services, including eMalyatko, e-Resident, e-Entrepreneur, and other high-load systems.
The platform supports AI integration and is listed in the international GovStack catalogue, which brings together verified technological solutions for digital public service delivery. Liquio has also received a G2 assurance-level certificate from the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine. This confirms that the platform meets national information security requirements and can be used in systems with enhanced security requirements.
The open-source code of Liquio Community Edition supports technological sovereignty, meaning that government institutions can maintain control over their digital infrastructure, develop services independently, and engage different development teams.
Preparing communities to work with new services
Another focus of the project is strengthening the capacity of local teams. Staff from communities and Administrative Service Centres will receive training in platform administration and the use of digital services. The project also includes communication campaigns and collecting user feedback to ensure that services meet people's actual needs.
Over the previous two projects, we have progressed from assessing the needs of communities to creating the Portal and the first digital services for veterans in Zhytomyr Oblast. Our task now is the full-scale launch of the Portal and scaling up what has already been developed: adding new services, connecting more communities, and integrating the Portal with the Vulyk system. It is important that digitalisation at the local level becomes a system that makes services easier for people to access and helps communities work more efficiently.
— Serhii Karelin, Senior Expert at eGA and Project Manager
Partnership for digitalising Zhytomyr Region
This is the partners' third joint project since 2024. Kitsoft is the technology partner responsible for developing the Local Public Services Portal. The Zhytomyr Regional Military Administration coordinates cooperation with communities and provides technical support and hosting for the platform.
ESTDEV's total support across this project and the two previous initiatives amounts to €600,000. This cooperation forms part of Estonia's broader support for Ukraine's recovery, with a particular focus on Zhytomyr Region.