Dubai and Kyiv, June 17, 2025 – VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, is partnering with Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation to build the nation’s first large language model (LLM) trained exclusively on Ukrainian-language data. This initiative, announced today, builds on VEON and Kyivstar’s commitment to invest USD 1 billion to rebuild Ukraine’s digital infrastructure between 2023 and 2027.
The collaborative effort aims to develop an LLM leveraging open-source architectures, ensuring that sensitive national data remains secure. The project is designed to capture the nuances of Ukrainian dialects, historical context, and cultural intricacies, ensuring that sensitive national data is stored and processed within Ukraine. This is particularly crucial for sectors like government, defense, healthcare, and finance.
Beyond its foundational role, the LLM will power AI-driven products and services. These include legal and regulatory analysis tools, and specialized AI applications spanning the public and private sectors, including education, finance, and health. The model, trained on Ukrainian data, is expected to offer more accurate and insightful results for Ukrainian users than globally-focused alternatives.
Kyivstar will lead the LLM development in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the WINWIN AI Centre of Excellence. The first version of the Ukrainian LLM is slated for release by December 2025.
“Today’s agreement marks a significant step in creating a sovereign, secure, and culturally relevant AI ecosystem, fostering economic growth and empowering Ukrainians,” said Kaan Terzioglu, CEO of VEON Group. “The Ukrainian LLM will provide users with access to augmented intelligence tools that are culturally rich, deeply relevant, and powered by their own national resources. We view it as a privilege to drive Ukraine’s digital transformation through AI, and this initiative underscores our dedication to supporting Ukraine’s digital future with our investments.”
Oleksandr Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar, added: “Leading the development of Ukraine’s national LLM aligns perfectly with our mission as VEON’s digital operator in Ukraine. Thanks to Kyivstar’s technological expertise, advanced AI capabilities, and strong commitment to national advancement, we are proud to contribute to both Ukraine’s digital sovereignty while providing locally pertinent innovation that provides valuable solutions for the country’s businesses, institutions, and citizens.”
This LLM project represents another step in VEON’s commitment to bridging the AI language gap in its markets. The company has launched similar initiatives, powering its “AI Tutor” as a partner with QazCode, Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence at Nazarbayev University (ISSAI NU) and Astana Hub. In Pakistan, VEON’s digital operator, Jazz, is collaborating with the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) and the National Information Technology Board (NITB) to develop a local LLM in Urdu.
About VEON
VEON is a Nasdaq-listed digital operator. Serving nearly 160 million customers, it offers connected communications through digital services across six countries. VEON is empowering individuals and driving economic growth through technology-driven services.
About Kyivstar
Kyivstar is Ukraine’s largest digital operator, serving over 24 million mobile subscribers and 1.3 million fixed-line users. As VEON’s digital operator in Ukraine, Kyivstar provides a comprehensive portfolio of digital services to individuals and businesses.
Disclaimer
This release contains “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts and include statements relating to, among other things, VEON’s strategic priorities, operating model and development plans as well as VEON’s ability to achieve anticipated results and business objectives.
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