Kharkiv is the third-to-last in the European City Index: weaknesses – openness and accountability

Kharkiv ranked third from the bottom in the first European City Index conducted by Transparency International Ukraine. The study covered ten regional centers and the capital: Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kropyvnytskyi, Lutsk, Lviv, Odesa, Poltava, and Chernihiv. Kyiv ranked first, and Chernihiv ranked last; Kyiv and Lutsk have the highest scores, while Chernihiv and Poltava have the lowest. No one achieved a maximum score of 100.

The city councils were evaluated based on six criteria: transparency, e-services, open data, public finances, integrity, and anti-corruption measures, as well as accountability. It was not always possible to evaluate all cities using the same criteria: some are located further away, while others are closer to the front lines. In the "Open Data" category, for Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, whose datasets were temporarily removed from public access due to the war, the average of the ratings for the remaining nine cities in the sample was used.

Despite this, Kharkiv achieved the third-best result in digital services. Researchers noted that the city not only maintains existing services but also launches new ones, including the mobile application Open Kharkiv, and highly valued the mobile guide for veterans. Problematic areas in Kharkiv were identified as openness, public finances, and accountability.

According to the study, the city mayor, Igor Terekhov, did not report on his work for 2025 at an open meeting with the community. During secret checks, no one answered calls to official contact numbers, and the city council responded to requests for public information with a delay.

Frontline cities – Kharkiv, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia – generally performed well in individual categories and competed with the leaders, but they have problem areas. In Odesa, these include open data, integrity, combating corruption, and accountability.

In the "Transparent Cities" ranking, Kharkiv was assessed for the first time in 2017, placing it 35th out of 100. The following year, it fell to 64th due to the addition of new criteria, and in 2021, it scored 52 points and ranked 39th. Following the start of the full-scale war, the situation deteriorated sharply: in 2024, the city ranked 52nd out of 100 and was considered non-transparent. Transparency International Ukraine explained that the European Cities Index differs from the "Transparent Cities" ranking, but Kharkiv's low position was due to the fact that the mayor and his subordinates systematically ignored the letters and recommendations of researchers. Despite the success of electronic applications, researchers believe the city is relatively isolated.