Long-term EU support and strengthening Ukraine's role as a regional leader in the field of cybersecurity: The International Cyber Resilience Forum 2025 was held in Kyiv

Juhan Lepassaar, Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) , summarized the first year of cooperation between the Agency and Ukrainian partners, the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center and the State Special Communications Service, and emphasized the importance of joint efforts in strengthening cyber resilience. «I want to thank you, Ukrainian cyber defenders, because by defending Ukraine in cyberspace, you strengthen the resilience of all of Europe every day», he said.

As part of the forum, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC) and the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCSCC). This document will foster the development of innovations and policies in cybersecurity, the integration of Ukrainian companies into the European cybersecurity community, and enhance their competitiveness through information exchange and joint research. «Establishing cooperation between NCCS and key EU agencies in cybersecurity – ENISA and ECCC – is an important step towards Ukraine's integration into the European Union», emphasized Serhii Demedіuk, Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and Deputy Head of NCSCC.

The two-day Forum program included panel discussions and presentations by over 100 experts from various sectors, dedicated to the issues of cyber resilience. Representatives from leading global and Ukrainian companies, government agencies, international and civil organizations shared practical cases and experiences gained during the war. Among the topics discussed were cybersecurity strategies for the future, the role of international cooperation in global cyber deterrence, cyber operations in military conflicts, hybrid and informational threats, challenges of emerging technologies and innovative solutions for cyber resilience, development of partnerships and ecosystems, the landscape and analytics of cyber threats, regional cybersecurity, and more.

As part of the event, Ukraine’s experience in ensuring cybersecurity and cyber resilience, gained during the full-scale war of the russian federation against our country, was widely discussed.

Oleksandr Potii emphasized the importance of cybersecurity for Ukraine’s national security. «Cybersecurity is a strategic priority for our state. This issue is at the forefront of attention for the President and the Prime Minister of Ukraine», highlighted the head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection.

During the Forum, a closed workshop titled «Resilience of Data Centers and Networks During the War» was held for international partners, where experts from leading Ukrainian government agencies and private companies shared their unique experiences and knowledge on how to survive under shelling and cyberattacks. The event focused on real operational problems and challenges that emerged after the start of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as the solutions implemented to ensure the stable and uninterrupted provision of communication services and data centers.

The practical part of the Forum included the first-ever competition in Ukraine, The DOT-Chain Bug Bash, during which ethical hackers searched for vulnerabilities in the information systems of the State Rear Operator. The winner of the competition was hacker Alyona, who identified the highest number of critical vulnerabilities. Additionally, as part of the Forum, the traditional Capture-The-Flag cyber competition was held, with 12 top teams from government agencies and critical infrastructure entities participating. This year, the first-ever national women’s CTF team, G1rlUn1ty, took part in the competition.The winners of the CTF were the team from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

The Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum 2025 became an important step in the development of public-private partnerships, the formation of a strong cyber community, and the building of the Ukrainian and international cybersecurity ecosystem. This year, the event was supported by 32 partners from the public and private sectors from Ukraine, Europe, and the USA.

During the discussion at the roundtable «The Tallinn Mechanism in Action: Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships in Cybersecurity», an agreement was reached on involving Ukrainian cyber companies in the implementation of projects within the framework of the Tallinn Mechanism. The initiative of the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center (NCCS) to involve women in cybersecurity became one of the central topics of the panel discussion «Developing Ukraine's Cybersecurity Ecosystem: Growth, Cooperation, and Female Leadership».

Overall, the event gathered over 1,000 participants from 35 countries, becoming the main event in the field of cybersecurity in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. The Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum 2025 «Defending Democracy» once again proved that Ukraine is not only winning the cyberwar against russia, but is already a regional leader in the field of cybersecurity and is ready to shape the future of global cyber resilience together with its partners.

The Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum was initiated in 2023 by the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. The forum's organization was joined by the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The organizational support and management of the Forum are carried out by the Institute for Cyberwarfare Research (ICWR) and the company Cyber Unit Technologies.

Government Partners: Ministry of Defence of Latvia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. Sponsors and Partners: Google, Kyivstar, Koryos, CrowdStrike, Cloudflare, IITD, Fortinet, WithSecure, CRDF Global, PUMB, ISSP, Cisco, Thales, Under Defense, HiDeez, Favbet.Tech, GigaCloud, BugStream, DOT, Defcon, AmonSul, Molfar, CyberLab, WLSIF, ST&T, Ambassadors, Voda_ua, Spraga, Ascania. Media Partners: Kyiv Independent, Recorded Future, Mezha.

More information about the Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum can be found on the website at the following link:cyberforumkyiv.org