Ukraine Develops Google's Independent AI System Based On Open Technology

JAKARTA - Ukraine is developing a national large language model (LLM) based on Google's Gemma's open framework. This step was taken to build an independent artificial intelligence system that can be used in various sectors, from civil needs to military operations. This was announced by the Ministry of Digital Ukraine and the country's largest cellular operator, Kyivstar, Monday, December 1.

According to an official statement, the initial training of the model will take advantage of Google's computing infrastructure outside Ukraine. Once it reaches a stable phase, the entire development and operation process will be moved to a local data center. Thus, Ukraine can ensure full control of the AI system that serves 23 million users every day.

"This national LLM is expected to be the foundation for a new generation of AI-based services, both in the public and private sectors," Kyivstar said in a statement.

The Deputy Minister of Digitalization, Oleksandr Bornyakov, previously said that building the AI model itself would save huge costs paid to foreign companies. In addition, technology independence is considered important because the Ukrainian military intends to integrate AI into combat management systems, ranging from troop coordination to monitoring enemy movements.

Bornyakov insists that Ukraine deliberately does not use large company-owned platforms such as ChatGPT from OpenAI or Chinese-made models such as DeepSek and Qwen.

Menteri Digitalisasi Mykhailo Fedorov menambahkan bahwa teknologi AI sebenarnya sudah diterapkan militer dalam operasi pengemilikan udara dan satelit, serta pengendalian drone. Alat-alat analisis dari perusahaan AS, Palantir, misalnya, telah membantu membongkar serangan Rusia, memantau kampanye disinformation, hingga menentukan prioritas pembersihan mine.

The ministry's internal documents show that Gemma was chosen for its ability to handle many languages in good accuracy. Apart from Google, two other models that were considered were the Llama from Meta and the French Mistral AI-made model.

Kyivstar said Google's election also strengthened the technological and economic relations between Ukraine and the United States, especially after Kyivstar became the first Ukrainian company to take the floor on the Nasdaq stock exchange in August 2025.

One of the main challenges this project intends to solve is the communication gap in current AI models. Bornyakov gave an example of the typical dialect of his hometown in Bolhrad, Odesa, which mixes Ukrainian, Russian, and Bulgarian language variations that modern AI models often fail to understand.

To ensure the quality and sensitivity of the language, four advisory committees were formed with mandates in technical, legal, cultural, historical, and linguistic fields. The new model is designed to be able to handle minority languages such as Tatar Crimea, in addition to Ukrainian and Russian languages widely used in the region.

Data collection was carried out from more than 90 government institutions, including regional archives, educational issuance, court registries, as well as documentation of Russian actions during the ongoing war.

The initial training process will be carried out using Google's secure GPU outside Ukraine. Once the model is ready for use, the system will be fully moved to a local data center. Kyivstar has not confirmed the final launch time.

But security threats remain a major concern. We understand that as soon as its release, this model will almost certainly be attacked, said Bornyakov, referring to the increasing intensity of Russian cyberattacks. Authorities are also preparing a mechanism to prevent a prompt injection'' attack, namely inserting malicious instructions into user requests.

Kyivstar, which has installed more than 3,500 backup generators to keep services stable amid Russia's attacks on energy infrastructure, stated that the first implementation of this AI system will focus on the needs of the government and its company-owned platforms. After that, services will be extended to the private sector.

Ukrainian officials call the project evidence that relatively small countries can take advantage of open technology to build strategic independence in the field of artificial intelligence without relying on foreign giant models.