There were about 400 participants, 50 Ukrainian and international speakers, table-top exercises (TTX) : The NCCC organised the first Regional Cyber Resilience Forum in Lviv

On 24-25 July, Lviv hosted the first Regional Cyber Resilience Forum. This time, representatives of the state and business, cyber community, technology companies, and leading Ukrainian and international subject-matter experts came together to discuss the importance of strengthening cybersecurity in the regions of Ukraine.

The forum was opened by Serhii Demediuk, Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine. In his speech, he noted that the cyber resilience of the regions is a critical component of Ukraine's national security, as russia continues to attack Ukraine on all fronts, including cyberspace.

"The vast majority of critical infrastructure facilities are located in the regions of Ukraine. Therefore, strengthening cybersecurity at all levels within the country is one of the top priorities today. And this forum is an important step towards improving our readiness to counter cyber threats to Russia. We must act decisively and responsibly, because only by joining forces we can defeat the enemy and ensure a secure future for our citizens and country", - said Sergii Demediuk.

The guests of the event were welcomed at the official opening by Yurii Myronenko, Head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, Volodymyr Karasteliev, Acting Head of the Cyber Security Department of the Security Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kulepin, Deputy Head of Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalisation (CDTO) of the Lviv Regional State Administration, Mykhailo Verich, Regional Director of CRDF Global in Ukraine, Dmytro Bondar, Rector of the Lviv State University of Life Safety of the State Emergency Service, and Petro Kotin, Acting Chairman of the Board of NNEGC Energoatom.

In total, the two-day forum featured three panel discussions and more than 30 expert presentations and workshops covering a wide range of topics. These included the importance of regional cybersecurity, ensuring the cyber resilience of transport infrastructure, Ukraine's experience in countering russian cyber aggression, enhancing the cyber resilience of critical infrastructure, the role and capabilities of the Tallinn Mechanism, implementing EU legislation, using the latest technologies, and countering Russian disinformation and propaganda in the energy sector. The event brought together over 400 participants offline and online.

As part of the RCRF, regional TTX were held under the chairmanship of Nataliia Tkachuk, Head of the Information and Cybersecurity Service of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, Secretary of the NCCC, with the participation of representatives of the Lviv Regional Military Administration and the city administration, the main cybersecurity actors of Ukraine and critical infrastructure facilities in the region.

"Holding regional table-top exercises is extremely important for strengthening the national cybersecurity system of Ukraine. These events allow us not only to check the readiness and coordination of all parties involved, but also to identify weaknesses and gaps in the existing mechanisms of interaction in responding to cyber attacks and communicating cyber incidents", - said Natalia Tkachuk.

Regional Cyber Resilience Forum: Lviv is organised by the National Coordination Centre for Cybersecurity (NCCC) under the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDCU) and the US Foundation for Civilian Research and Development (CRDF Global) with the support of the US Department of State and in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, Lviv Regional State Administration, Lviv State University of Life Safety of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Partners of the event: Cyber Warfare Research Institute, CyberLab, Parkovyi Data Centre.