Fifth UA–EE Cyber Shield training session brought together 100 cybersecurity specialists in Kyiv

As Ukraine continues to face significant cyberattacks daily, strengthening practical cybersecurity skills remains a national priority. To enhance Ukraine’s resilience against evolving cyber threats, regular sessions of practical cybersecurity training and hands-on exercises are being organised under the initiative “UA–EE Cyber Shield via Tallinn Mechanism”, supported by the European Union and ESTDEV. 

The fifth edition of the cybersecurity training sessions took place in Kyiv on 26–27 May, bringing together 100 participants from across Ukraine and partner countries. Around 40 participants are fine-tuning their skills at the cybersecurity tools training, while 60 participants competed in the Capture-the-Flag (CTF) Challenge.

This time, the CTF Challenge featured participation of five teams from Romania, adding a meaningful international dimension to the event. Notably, six out of the overall 20 participating teams were all-women teams, reflecting a growing gender equality and inclusion in cybersecurity.

The exercise was conducted on CybExer’s cyber range platform, which provides near real-time visualisation and analysis of training and exercise data, ensuring an engaging, transparent, and high-value learning experience.

Organised by the National Cyber Security Coordination Centre under the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, CybExer, and the e-Governance Academy, the initiative places strong emphasis on a hands-on technical approach, enabling participants to practice cyber incident response scenarios in environments closely reflecting real-life attacks. Overall, the “UA–EE Cyber Shield via Tallinn Mechanism” combines cybersecurity tools training, capture-the-flag competitions, threat-hunting, and live-fire exercises.

In total, about 900 participants from law enforcement institutions, critical infrastructure providers, and academia are expected to take part throughout the planned training sessions under the initiative “UA–EE Cyber Shield via Tallinn Mechanism”. So far, 700 cyber specialists have been trained.

The “UA–EE Cyber Shield via Tallinn Mechanism” initiative aims to strengthen Ukraine’s resilience against cyber challenges by equipping Ukrainian cyber specialists with practical expertise to prevent, detect, and respond to digital threats. It forms part of Estonia’s broader contribution to supporting Ukraine’s cybersecurity and resilience through the Tallinn Mechanism.

Established in December 2023 by 11 partner countries — Estonia, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Canada, Poland, France, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, the United States, and the United Kingdom — the Tallinn Mechanism aligns Ukraine’s key cybersecurity priorities with international support, strengthening the country’s preparedness and resilience against evolving cyber threats.

Photos by Stas Kartashov