Ukraine has withstood Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion for over 1000 days. This war does not only take place in the trenches but also in cyberspace; it confirms that cyberattacks are an integral part of 21st century conflict and warfare, and cybersecurity is a crucial dimension of the overall resilience of society. Thanks to Ukraine’s own resilience coupled with the international assistance it has received, Ukraine has persisted despite these attacks and has kept its digital ecosystem functioning throughout the war. The recent targeting of Ukrainian state registries underscores the importance of supporting Ukraine’s digital infrastructure in a comprehensive and timely manner.
In order to jointly coordinate and facilitate our support related to civilian cybersecurity in Ukraine, partners publicly announced the Tallinn Mechanism on 20th December 2023. The mechanism consists of Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The European Union and NATO support the mechanism and have been observers since its creation.
The Tallinn Mechanism is using world class cyber and digital expertise, from both the private and public sector, to protect critical national infrastructure and vital services through bolstered cyber defence capabilities to Ukraine, enabling them to detect and disable the malware targeted at them. This support ranges from frontline hardware and software to prevent malicious cyber activities, endpoint detection and incident response, and training of cybersecurity officials. The Tallinn Mechanism is also supporting the ongoing critical need for satellite communication terminals in Ukraine. All the requirements of Ukraine are validated by the Ukrainian government through its governmental working group.
Since establishment, the Tallinn Mechanism has accumulated over 200 million euros in foreign assistance that strengthens Ukraine’s ability to address Russia’s malicious behaviour in cyberspace and will continue to seek new avenues for supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes.
With its engagement, the Tallinn Mechanism sends a clear message: Ukraine has full support of like-minded nations and partner countries that will continue to assist Ukraine in protecting its civilian critical infrastructure against Russian malicious cyber activity. Russian activity has aimed to destroy Ukraine’s digital ecosystem and cyber capabilities, as well as attempt to destabilize Ukraine’s allies in the cyber domain. Russia’s activities demonstrate that it is a persistently reckless, aggressive, and irresponsible actor in cyberspace, in contravention of the consensus on UN framework of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.
The Tallinn Mechanism countries remain committed to continuing assisting Ukraine now, during the war of aggression, as well as in the long term.
