Лонги

Ten years in testing, a successful career from Junior QA to Project Lead, and a stable income. This is what Victoria Golovchenko's professional path looked like until 2025. However, today her life has changed dramatically: instead of finding bugs in mobile games, she teaches Spanish, stars in series for Netflix, and conquers the catwalks as a model. dev.ua talked to Victoria about the dizzying year that radically changed her professional life.

Former head of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, Mykhailo Fedorov, gave a speech in the Verkhovna Rada before the vote on his appointment as Minister of Defense. In it, he spoke about army reform, artificial intelligence, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, an audit of the Ministry of Defense, and the de-occupation of his hometown.

In today’s world, where communication is an integral part of both personal and professional life, the ability to effectively deal with criticism is becoming an extremely important skill. Personal criticism can come from a variety of sources and take many forms, from constructive criticism to unfair attacks. Regardless of the nature of the criticism, it can evoke a wide range of emotions, from disappointment and confusion to motivation and self-improvement. More on how to learn to respond correctly to criticism and maintain inner harmony.

In today's world, where technology is becoming an integral part of national security, Ukrainian developers are creating game-changing products. One such breakthrough is DrillApp, a mobile application for training in shooting and weapons handling, which has already crossed the line from a local startup to a global platform for the military and civilians. Today, DrillApp is used by over 200,000 users in 159 countries around the world. We spoke with DrillApp founder Alexander Gusarov about the project's new ambitious goals and the direction the application is heading.

Software developer Oleg Shankovsky shared a practical case of using the Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric car as a backup power source for a home during long power outages.

Now almost every company claims to be implementing AI. But if we look honestly at the internal processes of businesses, for many this «transformation» ends with a beautiful presentation for investors, corporate access to Midjourney and the phrase in Slack: «Well, now we are also in trend». In fact, for the COO, external trends are a secondary thing. The main thing is internal numbers, indicators of commercial efficiency. If technology does not cut costs and does not accelerate the product’s entry into the market, then for a business, implementing a trend is just an expensive toy. At CITYCODE, we abandoned chaotic experiments in favor of systematic work. Practice without assumptions gave clear answers: where savings appear, why teams resist new things, and how to correctly evaluate the effectiveness of AI.

«The Left Bank is cursed,» Olena Plakhova, a former top manager of Nova Poshta, jokingly wrote in the comments on Facebook. Until tonight, it really looked like this: the electricity shortage did not allow to power the densely populated areas of the capital with thousands of people in such a way that anything could be predicted. For the fifth day now, the left-bank Kyiv residents have been living in emergency power outages after a massive missile=drone attack. This night, the right-bank part of Kyiv and its satellite cities — Irpin, Bucha, etc. — will probably be just as difficult. However, despite the lack of electricity in fully electrified high-rise buildings, Kyiv residents continue to live, work, and find ways out of the most difficult situations. And what is interesting — the first helpers for the population here are not the invincibility points promoted by the authorities, but businesses that have learned to work from alternative sources of electricity over the years of full-scale invasion. Below is a selection of «Kyiv life hacks» that will definitely come in handy for any city that remains in the dark for a long time.

In the last week, the full and high-quality functioning of the invincibility points has again become more than relevant, if not to say — a matter of life and death. Let’s avoid excessive hyperbolization and unnecessary tragedy, but objectively — millions of people were left without electricity and heat in cold winter weather for a fairly long period of time. So here it really is no joke. The latest hostile attacks on energy and other critical infrastructure have plunged the million-strong cities of Kyiv (partly) and Dnipro into darkness, as well as such large industrial centers as Zaporizhia and Kryvyi Rih. This also applies to many other settlements in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia regions and beyond. Unfortunately, with sub-zero temperatures, a significant part of the residents of these regions (mainly Kyiv and the Kyiv region) were also deprived of heat and water. And while the water supply was restored quickly, in some places they are still fighting to restore full-fledged energy and heat supply. We almost thought that as of today, the situation had basically stabilized. But at the moment we do not yet fully understand the future consequences of today’s new missile attack on Kyiv. At least, Bucha, Gostomel and Irpin, where the author lives, are also in a blackout. And we haven’t even mentioned how shortly before that, the residents of Odessa found themselves in a total blackout for at least a few days.

The story of Bohdan Holovach, a military man and former iOS developer, is not about «an IT guy who joined the army.» It’s about a person who is constantly looking for a form in which he can be himself: in code, in war, and in his own product. He has been defending Ukraine for four years, and despite this, he dreams of living and developing among conscious Ukrainians and building a career in IT, which he left behind because of the war. Now, while in the military, Bohdan has managed to create and develop his own brand of quality clothing for conscious Ukrainians. He is also very concerned about the fate of veterans returning from war. Below is the story of a man who was not afraid to turn his life 18 degrees at least twice.

The Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2026) made it clear that this year will be about AI at all levels — from physical robots to wearables and edge computing. The event once again demonstrated how AI, robotics, displays, smart homes and personal devices are transforming from hype to practical products. We’ve rounded up the humanoids and AI that were showcased at this year’s CES.

When emergency shutdowns are introduced in Kyiv at the command of NPC Ukrenergo, and the Kyiv City State Administration reports the cessation of water, heat, and electricity supply, the apartment instantly ceases to be a «safe backend» for life. Without light, heat, and water, even a new building turns into a cold concrete box, uncomfortable to be in. dev.ua has put together a selection of things and devices that will help you survive a long heating outage in an apartment building — when the batteries are already cold, the water has been drained from the system, and the return of heat may take a while. This is not about surviving in the forest — it’s about how to stay warm, safe, and in good condition in your own apartment, even when the infrastructure temporarily «falls.»

As a result of the combined strike on Kyiv, a critical situation has developed with energy and heat supply. The mayor of the capital, Vitaliy Klitschko, has appealed to residents to temporarily leave the city - to places where there are alternative sources of power and heating.

Valeria Kuryakova got into IT right after university, worked as a project and product manager, managed teams and made decisions based on data. But at some point she realized that the system did not allow her to develop the product, and her role was reduced to “fighting fires”. Valeria told dev.ua how she decided to leave the industry and build her own direction — analytics and in-depth consumer research.

A crisis always tests a business for strength. At this moment, it becomes clear who was just talking nicely and who really holds on for both the team and the customers. But what exactly helps a brand survive when everything around is shaky? Today we'll talk about what makes a brand strong in difficult times, what to include in an anti-crisis plan, and why a crisis is an opportunity for growth.

Ukrainian startup chessed.me has transformed individual online chess lessons into a guided service for developing concentration and cognitive skills in children. The platform already works with hundreds of families in the UK, conducts thousands of classes and retains about 90% of customers in the first months. Now the team is preparing to scale the product in the US and EU and introduce AI into the educational process. Read our article to find out who is behind the startup and why it is growing rapidly.

Today, January 7, Ukraine celebrates Programmer’s Day for the first time on this date. Recall that on Christmas Eve, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a decree by President Volodymyr Zelensky on the emergence of this new professional holiday. In addition to greetings to our audience on this occasion, we decided to collect a small selection — who in Ukraine stood at the origins of this profession? Who can be considered the first and most prominent Ukrainian programmers and which of them left their mark on history? We have collected information about 5 Ukrainian scientists and scholars.

Ukrainians are opening a network of golf simulators in the United States, trying to meet the growing demand for such a product in this country. According to the CEO and founder of the Remo startup Yaroslav Pryhara, more than 40 million people in the United States already play golf simulators, and the potential audience is much wider. This is comparable to the entire population of Ukraine. A rapid surge of interest in this sport occurred after the Covid pandemic. One Remo Golf Simulator is already operational in Austin, Texas, and another has opened in Nebraska. The next step is to further expand the network of golf simulators over the next year. Contracts have already been signed for the installation of such simulators in a number of states, and the units for this have been put into production.

In 2025, 1,169 Mate academy graduates got their first IT job. The data is based on internal statistics of employed students who entered the job market without commercial experience. The analytics provide a snapshot of what the path of a June in Ukraine looks like in 2025: from salaries and job search time to types of companies, work formats, and candidate profiles.

The National Bank restored a record high dollar exchange rate against the hryvnia on January 6. The hryvnia fell to a historic low.

Generation Z is a new wave of professionals who are already actively shaping the landscape of the technology industry. They were born in a world where digital solutions were not innovations, but everyday life; where the speed of information flows determined the way of thinking, and globality — the way of interaction. That is why Gen Z behaves differently in the labor market: more open, more flexible, bolder in expectations and demands.

Strong engineers are needed everywhere today — in IT, defense, startups. But in military R&D, they compete not with salaries, but with meaning and speed of impact. In the Third Army Corps, R&D has grown from field FPV workshops to a separate department that works directly with combat units. Here, they test electronic warfare solutions, create repeater drones and kamikaze aircraft, and implement them not «on paper,» but in positions. dev.ua asked the R&D manager with the call sign Dolyna about how the team is formed, why bureaucracy slows down the war, and what technologies will define the coming years.

Despite the high economic turbulence, Ukrainian companies strive for development and scaling. The markets of European countries are one of the first and most logical steps on the way to this. However, when preparing an exhibition, stand or event to present their product, businesses often perceive Europe as one continuous mechanism, which is not entirely true. The differences are traced from the cultural code to legal norms. That is why communication in new markets requires not spontaneous decisions, but a considered strategy. In this material, I will share how Ukrainian companies can scale painlessly and with a focus on long-term results.

Startup.biz.ua, an IT project that combines EdTech and HR, has opened a vacancy for a position they called a "forger." This is a kind of "toxic person" who will criticize everything mercilessly. On LinkedIn, this role has aroused so much interest that all interview slots are currently occupied, and the post has already received over 200 comments. Here's what dev.ua learned about this unusual vacancy.

For Ukrainian IT, 2026 is not just another year on the calendar. It is a test of endurance, adaptability, and the ability to plan in an environment where stability is the exception rather than the rule. The market is fluctuating, global players are reviewing strategies, AI is accelerating change, and war continues to influence every business decision. We asked the top Ukrainian IT companies how they see IT-2026: where the industry can grow, where it risks losing ground, what to watch out for now, and what there is still reason to hope for. Without rose-colored glasses — with several scenarios and honest forecasts from people who make decisions every day, we offer a look into 2026

We often ask IT professionals about salaries, technologies, and markets. But this time, it’s about personal choice. dev.ua asked the heads of Ukrainian IT companies which global tech giant they would like to work for if they had to start a new stage of their career. Top managers from Ciklum, Headway Inc, and Railsware shared their answers. For some, it’s about scale and impact on millions of users, for others, it’s about culture, speed of decisions, or freedom to experiment. And it’s not always Google or Apple.

We asked Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude AI, Grok AI, and Mistral AI to name the 10 greatest achievements of the Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, during the Great War. We also asked what he could bring to the Ukrainian defense industry if he heads the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

2025 had many positive moments for Ukrainian gamers: new projects from domestic developers, a number of international recognitions, and more localizations in Ukrainian. dev.ua has collected key achievements that defined this year for the Ukrainian gaming community.

The year 2025 was, to some extent, a turning point in the war: Ukraine finally moved from relying on Western assistance to the systematic use of a powerful arsenal of long-range weapons of its own production. Thanks to the development of the missile program and long-range drones, «cotton» became a common occurrence in the deep rear of Russia even 1,000–2,000 km from the Ukrainian border.

The New Year traditionally comes with legislative innovations that require adaptation to new rules, tax rates, and social contributions. We have collected the key changes for 2026 that affect every Ukrainian. We tell you about the new rules that Ukrainians need to learn to live by from now on.

2025 was a year of endurance, difficult decisions, and strategy revisions for Ukrainian IT. Business worked under the pressure of war, staff shortages, a global slowdown, and the rapid development of AI — and at the same time, it was looking for growth points. We asked top managers of Ukrainian IT companies to describe in one paragraph what this year was like for them: what hurt, what worked, and what lessons they are taking with them into 2026. However, most of them were more verbose and revealed interesting insider insights.