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Digitalisation is now widely recognised as a key driver for the transition to smart and climate-neutral cities. By reshaping governance, public services and energy systems, digital technologies optimise resources, improve transparency and foster citizen participation. However, their ecological and social implications remain contested: energy-intensive models, governance constraints and inequalities risk undermining the climate-neutral objectives that digitalisation is meant to support. This study focuses on Ukraine as a critical case of accelerated digital transformation under extraordinary stress. The country’s trajectory demonstrates rapid progress: from early experiments in e-government, through the institutionalisation of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, to the adaptive use of digital platforms during wartime. The Ukrainian case shows that despite severe disruption, digital and ecological initiatives can advance in parallel, offering lessons for other countries where such progress is possible under less extreme conditions. This research provides the first integrated assessment of Ukraine’s digital transformation through the dual lens of ecological transition and urban sustainability, showing how digitalisation interacts with climate objectives under crisis conditions. Ukraine is presented not only as a case of resilient digital governance and wartime innovation, but also as an emerging reference point for climate-neutral pathways. The findings indicate that while digitalisation is not inherently sustainable, technologies such as digital twins and smart grids hold strong potential for post-war reconstruction, renewable integration and climate-responsive planning. These insights offer a foundation for future research and for shaping twin transition roadmaps that align digitalisation with climate neutrality and long-term resilience at both national and metropolitan levels.