Ukraine develops emergency tools as war disrupts communications

Ukraine has developed a 112 emergency-services app to help people call for assistance when mobile networks fail, Leonid Tymchenko told mbl.is at the Björgun 2026 rescue conference in Harpa, the conference venue.

Tymchenko, a former deputy interior minister who now leads digital transformation at Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, said attacks on the country’s power infrastructure had severely affected communications. Some mobile masts can operate for only about six hours without electricity, while others stop working as soon as power is lost.

It was not practical to install generators at every mast, he said, so authorities had to find other ways to keep people connected to emergency services, including through wireless internet.

The war has transformed the work of emergency services, forcing officials to respond quickly to changing conditions. “It is really impossible to be fully prepared for war,” Tymchenko said. “But we have to be flexible and find solutions. We have to work very, very quickly to find new solutions.”

Rescue workers and other first responders now face greater danger, he said. Russian forces repeatedly strike the same locations, including after rescue teams and police have arrived.