Two editions of cyber exercises sharpened the skill sets of 387 Ukrainian cyber experts
Two cyber exercises titled “UA-EE Cyber Shield via Tallinn Mechanism” involved a total of 387 cyber experts from Ukraine’s state authorities and academia. Over 146 cyber experts improved their practical skills in countering cyberattacks during the second exercise iteration, which took place in Kyiv from 21 to 23 April 2025. The first edition was held in December 2024.ˇ
The recent three-day technical exercise, engaged 146 cybersecurity professionals from various state institutions and academic institutions of Ukraine, enhancing their practical skills in countering cyberattacks. The exercise was designed to equip participants with the knowledge and hands-on experience needed to prevent, detect, and respond to cyber threats.
“These exercises are incredibly popular among Ukrainian cyber experts. They play a key role in strengthening the cyber resilience of Ukraine by facilitating knowledge exchange with experts from Estonia and enhancing cyber incident response capabilities,” said Serhii Demediuk, Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.
“This isn’t just another training. It’s a strategic investment towards building a more cyber-resilient Ukraine and Europe. Our sincere gratitude goes to the organisers who made it possible,” said Igor Maltcheniuk, Head of the Cybersecurity Department at the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP).
The exercise participants included experts from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, SSSCIP, the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center, and universities from Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and Zhytomyr. For the first time, two all-women teams also took part in the exercise.
“It was a truly interesting and exciting exercise because of its practical approach. The training allowed us to test our abilities in realistic cyberattack scenarios. We learned a lot over these three days, and there are definitely several practices I plan to implement in my daily work,” concluded Anastasiia Brythynets from one of the women’s teams.
The cyber exercise was supported by ESTDEV and jointly organised by the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre under the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, the e-Governance Academy, and CybExer Technologies, a NATO-awarded Estonian cybersecurity company.
“This initiative highlights Estonia’s commitment to supporting the enhancement of cybersecurity in Ukraine’s critical infrastructure while fostering international cooperation through the Tallinn Mechanism. As Ukraine’s cyber resilience is more important than ever, I look forward to continued cooperation with the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center for more exercises and partnership in the future,” said Andres Ääremaa, programme manager for Digital Transformation at ESTDEV.
According to Merle Maigre, Head of the Cybersecurity Competence Centre at the e-Governance Academy, the cyber range-based exercises have attracted considerable interest among Ukrainian students and public sector professionals thanks to their practical and efficient learning format.
“Through the two editions of cyber range-based exercises conducted under the UA-EE Cyber Shield via the Tallinn Mechanism initiative, we at eGA and CybExer have noticed a lot of promising new talent emerging among Ukraine’s youth. These exercises provide valuable hands-on experience in teamwork practicing response to cyberattacks. The ability to collaborate and share information as a team effort is essential for countering cyber threats in the real-world,“ said Merle Maigre.
The exercises followed a competitive format, whereby multiple blue teams were engaged in a friendly match against a red team simulating cyberattacks. The red team was composed of CybExer experts and Ukrainian cybersecurity institutions. All together, the core cybersecurity competencies of participants were enhanced. Besides — the live-fire exercise, participants engaged in threat-hunting and capture-the-flag tasks. The blue team members were tasked with defending information technology and operational technology systems and eliminating vulnerabilities.
The Tallinn Mechanism is a collaborative initiative aimed at aligning Ukraine’s top cybersecurity priorities with the support of 11 donor countries. It plays a crucial role in reinforcing Ukraine’s preparedness and resilience against cyber threats.
“It comes as no surprise that Estonia is supporting Ukraine with all the means at our disposal—one of the key areas being cybersecurity, where the Tallinn Mechanism stands as our flagship initiative. The war that Ukraine is currently facing is marked not only by Russia’s brutal missile attacks on civilians, but also by persistent aggression in the cyber domain. Throughout our collaboration, we have witnessed the remarkable dedication and expertise of our Ukrainian partners. I am confident that our joint efforts are playing a vital role in strengthening Ukraine’s cyber resilience,” noted Anneli Kolk, the Estonian Ambassador to Ukraine, during the opening of the event.
Launched in December 2023, the Tallinn Mechanism was established by eleven countries—Estonia, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Canada, Poland, France, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, the USA, and the United Kingdom—to amplify donor support for Ukraine’s civilian cybersecurity efforts. Italy recently joined the Mechanism, and NATO and the EU participate as observers. Estonia is currently leading the Tallinn Mechanism. In 2024, Estonia allocated € 500 000 from the development cooperation budget for the initiative.