AI Nodus: Ukraine - Week of October 21, 2025
AI Nodus: Ukraine is a bi-weekly report tracking AI developments across Ukraine's government, defense, and technology sectors.
Key Developments:
Ukraine and Estonia establish joint AI accelerator and sandbox program
Slovakia delegation explores Ukrainian AI strategy and digital governance models
Luxembourg pledges support for Ukraine's AI and space technology partnerships
State Statistics Service partners with Microsoft for AI-powered modernization
Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation reports Russia deploys AI-enhanced disinformation network across 150+ sites in 49 countries
Ministry officials discuss national LLM development and Diia.AI architecture
Ukrainian SMBs report 42% AI adoption rate, doubling from previous year
Fifteen Ukrainian AI startups selected for Web Summit Lisbon 2025 delegation
Gamow Tech secures investment from ZAS Ventures at €2.4M valuation for fertility AI
GigRadar acquires Lviv-based Upsky to expand Upwork automation capabilities
Fractal invests $1M in Finerd AI financial management platform
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
Ukraine and Estonia Launch Joint AI Accelerator and Regulatory Sandbox
Estonia's Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta and Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation Vitaliy Balashov signed a memorandum on October 9 establishing cooperation in digitalization, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. The agreement creates a joint AI Accelerator for testing and implementing AI solutions in government agencies, launches an AI sandbox for safe technology testing, and commits to delivering at least one proof-of-concept AI project by end of 2026. Additional provisions include pilot EdTech projects with AI tutors, joint participation in NATO's Locked Shields cyber exercises through CCDCOE, and knowledge exchange on post-quantum cryptography implementation in government e-services.
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Slovakia Explores Ukrainian Digital Governance and AI Strategy Implementation
The Committee on European Affairs of the Slovak National Council delegation met with Ukraine's Deputy Ministers Oleksandr Bornyakov (European integration) and Zoryana Stetsiuk (digital governance) to discuss collaboration on e-services, AI development in public administration, and cybersecurity enhancement. Slovakia expressed interest in Ukraine's digitalization experience, national AI strategy implementation, digital service development, and institutional coordination approaches for improving citizen convenience. The parties agreed to continue cooperation bilaterally and at European Union level.
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Luxembourg Commits Defense Aid Package Including AI and Space Technology Partnership
Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal secured a new military assistance package from Luxembourg during his visit, including tactical vehicles, drones, and night vision equipment, announced following the latest Ramstein format meeting. Ukraine acknowledged Luxembourg's IT Coalition leadership and willingness to join the PURL initiative for American weapons procurement. Shmyhal invited Luxembourg to participate in industrial and technological cooperation projects specifically in artificial intelligence and space sectors, while separately discussing support for Ukrainian POWs and rehabilitation programs.
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GOVERNMENT & DIGITAL SERVICES
State Statistics Service Partners With Microsoft for AI-Driven Modernization
Ukraine's State Statistics Service and Microsoft Ukraine signed a memorandum on October 20 to modernize statistical infrastructure through cloud technologies, hybrid solutions, centralized data platforms, and AI-powered analytics systems. The partnership aims to optimize business processes using machine learning, enhance data security systems, and develop new tools for personnel interaction and training. Deputy Head of State Statistics Artem Rudko stated the collaboration will make statistics more convenient, transparent, and understandable for business, government, and citizens, with first AI projects in statistics planned for presentation in autumn 2025.
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Ministry AI Leadership Discusses National LLM Architecture and Diia.AI Development
Ministry of Digital Transformation's AI CTO Dmytro Ovcharenko and Chief AI Officer Danylo Tsvok discussed Ukraine's AI product development strategy in AI House Podcast, positioning the mission to reach top-3 globally for AI implementation in public sector. Ovcharenko explained Diia.AI's current challenges including mobile app integration delays, while Tsvok outlined the national LLM's purpose: embedding Ukrainian context, history, values, and dialects while ensuring data sovereignty and cost advantages over foreign models. The officials detailed dataset collection, technical and ethical committee oversight, internal AI projects for government efficiency, and development of Ukraine's AI community.
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THREAT INTELLIGENCE
Russia Operates AI-Enhanced Disinformation Network Across 150+ Sites Globally
Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation reports Russia intensified information attacks against the United States using artificial intelligence and large-scale disinformation infrastructure. According to US company NewsGuard, which analyzes information source reliability, the Kremlin operates the Pravda network spanning over 150 sites across 49 countries that distributed more than 3.6 million Kremlin narratives in one year. These resources systematically attack American media while intentionally polluting internet search engines and AI models with disinformation materials, causing AI algorithms to reproduce Kremlin messages and mislead users.
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BUSINESS & INVESTMENT
Ukrainian SMB AI Adoption Reaches 42%, Doubling Year-Over-Year
Mastercard research presented at Kyiv International Economic Forum by General Director for Ukraine and Moldova Inga Andreeva shows 42% of Ukrainian small and medium businesses now use artificial intelligence, up 21 percentage points from previous year. Primary AI applications focus on marketing, communications, and targeting, while 93% of SMBs use cashless payments with 72% receiving over half their revenue electronically. Export activity shows 62% of companies either sell abroad or plan to soon, with 85% using digital sales channels for competitive positioning in global markets.
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Fifteen Ukrainian Startups Selected for Web Summit Lisbon 2025 Delegation
The Ukrainian Startup Fund and Plug and Play selected 15 Ukrainian startups for Web Summit Lisbon November 10-13, organized through Seeds of Bravery consortium with Ministry of Digital Transformation and GIZ DT4SME project support. The delegation includes AI-focused companies Allpass.ai (regulatory compliance automation), FortuneGuard (war risk insurance), Intelswift (customer service automation), Mindship (stress reduction through breathing), Nasnaga (health improvement via lab analysis), Obriy AI (customer inquiry conversion), and TrackAI (calorie counting), alongside sector-specific innovators in agritech, healthtech, logistics, and cybersecurity.
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Gamow Tech Secures Investment From ZAS Ventures at €2.4M Valuation
Netherlands-based Ukrainian fertility AI startup Gamow Tech received investment from venture fund ZAS Ventures, valuing the company at €2.4 million one month after emerging from stealth. Founded by embryologist Pavlo Mazur, biophysicist Kostiantyn Hnennyi, and deep-tech entrepreneur Maksym Slyzkoukh, with former Reface specialist Davyd Maiboroda as CTO, the company developed ReSpindle AI to assess women's egg cells for genetic abnormalities reducing non-viable embryo risk. Investment proceeds will fund clinical validation completion, CE mark certification in EU, and product scaling, with the startup currently collaborating with leading IVF centers conducting over 31,000 annual procedures.
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GigRadar Acquires Lviv-Based Upsky for Upwork Automation Enhancement
Ukrainian-American company GigRadar acquired Lviv startup Upsky, which develops AI solutions for automating freelancer and agency communications on Upwork platform. Upsky created an AI agent that responds to initial client messages, personalizes proposals, and integrates with Slack, Telegram, and CRM systems. GigRadar, founded by Ukrainians with current US headquarters, serves over 2,300 agencies in marketing, IT, and design sectors, stating the acquisition will expand platform functionality while supporting Ukrainian engineering team continuing work during wartime.
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Fractal Invests $1M in AI-Powered Financial Management Platform Finerd
Fractal company group, formerly Netpeak Group, invested $1 million in fintech startup Finerd developing an AI platform for personal, family, and business financial management. Founder Artem Borodatiuk cited partner Radomyr Novkovych's 15 years of financial automation experience and successful financial accounting product exit as key investment factors. Finerd's team previously developed a financial app generating 1.5 million downloads and $1 million annual revenue in US and Canadian markets, with the platform offering financial integration, debt management, investment tracking, and transaction processing across iOS, Android, and Web.
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