Spring 2014. The Revolution of Dignity had just taken place. There was a palpable desire for swift change in the air. You likely remember the prevailing feeling: something needed to be done.

Thus, four Ukrainian economists founded the blog VoxUkraine, a simple blog on the free platform Blogspot. They began writing about what they knew best — the economy of Ukraine and the progress of reforms.

Those economists were Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Tymofiy Mylovanov, Oleksandr Talavera, and Volodymyr Bilotkach.

Later, Tymofiy Mylovanov, President of the Kyiv School of Economics, recalled: “In 2014, world-class economists wanted to help Ukraine. However, it quickly became clear that expertise, even from Nobel laureates, was of no interest to anyone — neither the Cabinet of Ministers nor the Verkhovna Rada. So, we decided to take a much longer but more fundamental path: raising the level of education and economic discourse in Ukraine.”

Tymofiy Mylovanov, President of the Kyiv School of Economics, recalled: “In 2014, world-class economists wanted to help Ukraine. However, it quickly became clear that expertise, even from Nobel laureates, was of no interest to anyone — neither the Cabinet of Ministers nor the Verkhovna Rada. So, we decided to take a much longer but more fundamental path: raising the level of education and economic discourse in Ukraine.”

The first post was titled “What is really at stake in Crimea?” It was March, the peak of the annexation of the peninsula. At that time, few truly understood what was happening, especially in the West. Therefore, expert analysis in English resonated well.

The texts began to draw attention, and the team started to grow. Economists from the private sector and various think tanks joined the original quartet. The editorial board expanded to include Olena Bilan, Veronika Movchan, and Nataliia Shapoval, among others.

The shared goal of Vox’s economists became clear — to elevate the level of economic discourse in Ukraine.

What was Ukrainian economic discourse like before 2014? Staunch “practical managers” spoke of “productive emission.” Politicians shouted slogans about lowering tariffs and raising pensions. Neither group had the slightest idea of what modern economic science entailed. The notion of seeking solutions based on advanced research wasn’t even considered. The spirit of the Soviet political economy prevailed. Ukrainian and global economists spoke different languages.

From March to October 2014, Vox published 114 posts. By this point, it was no longer just a blog but more akin to a journal. The question of having our own website arose. Vox relocated.

For a significant time, one of the founders covered the hosting costs. In fact, during its first two years, the organization primarily operated on contributions from its members and their friends.

At the end of 2014, Vox developed the “Reform Index” — a tool designed to assess the progress of reforms in Ukraine. Simply put, if the changes were positive, the sector in question received a “plus” with a few points added. Negative changes resulted in a “minus.” This was Vox in action: discussions on reforms were no longer based on emotions and manipulations. Instead, you could objectively see what was happening with reforms in public governance, finance, the monetary system, the business climate, and energy. You could read expert commentary and draw your own independent conclusions.

Since then, nearly 70 experts have contributed to the Index. Some later joined the government — temporarily forfeiting their right to evaluate reforms — including Pavlo Kukhta, Taras Kachka, and Yuriy Dzhyhyr.

Vox emerged from the desire of a few economists to do something beneficial for Ukraine. It started as an “intellectual party,” as the founders put it. This party continued and attracted new participants. Eventually, it was time to institutionalize it.

In the fall of 2015, Vox was a community that united readers and like-minded individuals. Organizationally, however, it was still a group of volunteers. On November 11, 2015, an NGO was officially registered, marking the beginning of a new phase.

An organizational structure needed to be built. Thus, in addition to the editorial board, Vox established a Supervisory Board, an International Academic Council, and a general assembly — the organization’s highest governing body. Internal policies and procedures were formalized, and an appropriate manual was approved. Since 2016, Vox has published annual reports, including financial statements. External audits began in 2017.

All of this was necessary to operate independently, transparently, and, most importantly, to produce high-quality analytical products.

Meanwhile, the number of projects continued to grow.

In the same year of 2015, while observing parliamentary hearings, Reform Index expert Mykola Miagkyi noticed something that regular viewers could only sense: MPs were asking the head of the National Bank, Valeriia Gontareva, questions that were often incorrect. Many of them contradicted data, did not match facts, or simply made no sense. This observation led to the creation of a fact-checking prototype on the Vox Ukraine website.

Fact-checking involves experts verifying whether politicians use accurate facts and appropriate context. If they manipulate information or lie, the public is informed accordingly.

The first comprehensive fact-check article was an analysis of the economic discussion on the show “Shuster.Live” in February 2016. It created quite a stir. At the time, Vox’s chief editor, Borys Davydenko, even had to explain the fact-checking methodology to those featured in the piece.

This led to the creation of Vox’s most prominent project — VoxCheck.

During that period, Olena Shkarpova joined Vox Ukraine. She led VoxCheck for three and a half years, assembling a solid team of fact-checkers. For over a year, the project has been headed by Maksym Skubenko, who, during live broadcasts on Suspilne TV, directly tells politicians when they are lying.

In 2017, VoxCheck launched an internship program that has since engaged over 200 students. In 2018, the project team published the first rankings of manipulators and liars, and in 2019, they introduced the “Anthology of Deception” — a database of fact-checks enabling anyone to easily verify politicians (who are not particularly original in their manipulations).

Readers of local media do not always have access to quality data and analysis. Therefore, in 2017, Kyrylo Yesin launched VoxConnector, a project delivering analytics to hundreds of newsrooms across Ukraine.

A year later, the new project leader, Yuliia Mincheva, founded the “Editors’ Club,” which brought together journalists eager to inform their readers about significant changes in the country, thereby increasing the share of responsible voters.

The Ukrainian Parliament has been a special focus of attention. Under the leadership of Tymofiy Mylovanov, Dmytro Ostapchuk (now at DataRobot UA) visualized real coalitions and oppositions based on MPs’ voting patterns, not just their statements. Later, Oleksandr Nadelniuk (now at Liga.net) took over the role.

Today, analyzing parliamentary votes and updating the reform-oriented MP rankings are just small components of the DataVox project. The project’s analysts have developed and continue to enhance a program that analyzes the Ukrainian media space using machine learning.

There were also many short-term but influential projects such as the political compass, the budget process rankings, or MPs’ “wish lists.”

We created online courses on economics, fact-checking, and energy and continuously conducted training sessions, lectures, and internship programs. Additionally, we became co-founders of the Center for Excellence in Economic Journalism at the Kyiv School of Economics.

Vox Ukraine grew rapidly. In six years, what started as a small volunteer project evolved into a powerful organization. Vox faced its first crisis.

In 2016, we wrote 267 articles that were viewed by almost 900,000 people and raised UAH 1 million through crowdfunding. In 2017, the crowdfunding total was smaller, but our overall reach grew to 1.7 million people. By 2019, our materials had been read by 2.56 million people. In 2020, which is still ongoing, over 2.2 million people have engaged with our content.

In 2019, we released 257 publications. Essentially, that meant one article per working day. Writing a single piece, such as a data analysis report, could take several months. All articles undergo a rigorous editorial process. We do not chase volume; our priority is quality.

Vox Ukraine grew rapidly. In six years, what started as a small volunteer project evolved into a powerful organization. Vox faced its first crisis.

This was a type of identity crisis. On the one hand, everything seemed fine — projects, publications, continued growth. On the other hand, some labeled Vox as just a fact-checking service. Others viewed Vox as media. Yet, journalists described us as a “think tank.” Even within the team, opinions varied.

The question “What is Vox?” started every strategic session. Each time, we debated and more often answered the question, “What do we do?”.

1. We conduct our own research. It is original, data-driven, and provides a well-argued position on controversial issues.
2. Vox is a platform for discussions. To ensure high-quality discourse, texts go through peer review before publication.
3. We promote ideas and popularize modern economic knowledge through articles, videos, and online courses.
4. We fact-check politicians’ statements and expose lies and manipulations.
5. We monitor government actions and protect reform progress.
6. We foster a community of those working on modernizing Ukraine.

What unites all these elements? What is Vox? Finally, we found the answer: Vox is a modern think tank that helps advance the modernization of Ukraine.

Vox emerged in response to the demand from Ukrainian citizens who seek high-quality analysis about Ukraine. And this demand is growing.

We work for responsible citizens, providing balanced and logical analysis of the country’s main issues and potential solutions

Today, Ukraine is in an advantageous position — it has the opportunity to avoid the pitfalls already encountered by developed countries and emerging markets like Poland or Slovakia. However, Ukrainian governments often persist in repeating not only the mistakes of our Western neighbors but also the errors of Ukraine itself.

What is Vox? Finally, we found the answer.

Vox is a modern think tank that helps advance the modernization of Ukraine.

Our role is to prevent both the government and society from rolling back and reverting to the past from which we have emerged with such pain.

We believe in the freedom of individuals, communities, and the economy — all founded on responsibility. We understand our responsibility and influence on nation-building.

We support critical thinking — we are not afraid to question dogmas, engage in discussions, and reflect in order to stay relevant in a changing world.

We respect genuine expertise, not imitation, and collaborate with the best in their fields.

We are unafraid to call things by their proper names and understand that the worst mistake today would be to underestimate the level of threats facing the country. We believe that Ukrainians are capable of building an effective state.

Given the challenges facing the country, the informational chaos, and the multitude of emotional, unfounded opinions, it is essential to maintain a high level of discourse. We need to talk about problems, their causes, and solutions.

Ultimately, our standard of living depends on this. The absence of a land market has cost us a significant share of GDP and each landowner thousands of dollars in initial capital. And this is just a small example of governmental inefficiency.

So, it’s time to become more efficient. For us, too.

That’s why we are updating Vox. We are becoming clearer, more user-friendly, and more focused. Our mission is to help you make sense of the miles of information you see in your news feeds daily so you can make informed decisions.

The weakness and inefficiency of the state begin with us. When we fail to call out a lying politician. When we fall for manipulations. When we vote for an incompetent or corrupt candidate. When we trust unverified information. When we don’t want to dig deeper and instead believe the first so-called “expert” we hear.

It’s time to change.

Every day, we work to build the Ukraine of our dreams.

How do we envision it?

It’s a country that embraces the 21st century and moves forward with the world.

A state where governance decisions are based on data and research, not pulled out of thin air. Where discussions are rooted in arguments, not emotions.

A place where the state protects the rules and interests of society, not individual businesses or people.

Where politicians do not lie to voters because they respect them. And they know that voters do not support liars.

Where officials and citizens understand that there is no such thing as “state money” — only paid taxes.

It is a modernized Ukraine, free from its Soviet legacy and progressing.

A Ukraine with a future.

A Ukraine we are building. Together with you. For all of us.