Estonia and Ukraine launch a new project to train more than 500 Ukrainian cyber specialists

“Estonia has been successfully building its expertise in cybersecurity for many years. Today, we are sharing this knowledge and experience with Ukraine to support the country in addressing modern cyber challenges,” said Lauri Luht, CIO of the Government of Estonia. 

ESTDEV will provide nearly 1 million euros to fund the exercises. It’s part of Estonia’s contribution to the Tallinn Mechanism, an international cyber cooperation initiative created to support Ukraine’s cybersecurity and resilience. 

“Estonia is a reliable partner for us in cybersecurity and digital development. Joint initiatives to develop innovative solutions, train specialists and exchange experience will strengthen our cyber resilience and contribute to the security of the European community,” said Serhii Demediuk, the deputy secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council. 

The joint project “UA-EE Cyber Shield via Tallinn Mechanism” is being implemented by eGA, CybExer Technologies and Ukraine’s National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre under the National Security and Defence Council. The goal is to equip Ukrainian public sector IT specialists with practical expertise to prevent, detect and respond to cyberattacks. 

“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 our good partners for more exercises and partnership in the future,” said Andres Ääremaa, ESTDEV’s programme manager for Cybersecurity and e-Governance. 

The first training exercise took place in Kyiv on 25–26 September. It brought together Ukrainian cyber specialists from government agencies and institutions to gain practical skills in detecting and countering cyber threats. Special emphasis was placed on hands-on exercises, enabling participants to practice incident response scenarios in conditions that closely mirror real-life situations. 

"Participating in the training sessions helped me discover modern approaches to cybersecurity in a very practical way. The interactive format made it possible to put my new knowledge into practice, which was extremely useful. What I liked most was seeing how everyone’s individual efforts came together to make us stronger as a team by sharing information and working together," said Andriy Fedorov, a specialist in the Analytics and Cyber Security Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. 

The following eight cyber exercises will combine threat-hunting exercises with live-fire simulations, culminating in a hack-back scenario. All exercises will run on CybExer’s cyber range platform, which offers realistic simulation environments. A dedicated solution will provide near real-time visualisation and analysis of exercise data, ensuring the training is transparent, engaging and valuable for both technical responders and senior decision-makers. 

"Based on our close collaboration with Ukraine over recent years, we at eGA and CybExer have observed an increased motivation and dedication to acquiring new skills to protect Ukraine’s cyberspace. All know-how shared is essential for countering real-world cyber threats,” said Merle Maigre, eGA’s project manager. 

This project is one of many initiatives under the framework of the Tallinn Mechanism, which was established in December 2023 by 11 partner countries: Estonia, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Canada, Poland, France, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, the USA, and the United Kingdom. The Tallinn Mechanism aligns Ukraine’s key cybersecurity priorities with international support, reinforcing the country’s resilience and preparedness against evolving cyber threats. 

Photos by Iurii Strokan