Denmark allocates $9.5 million for Ukraine's cyber defense
Denmark will donate 91 million Danish kroner ($9.5 million) to projects supporting the development of cybersecurity and defense for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense, Rubryka reports.
What's the problem?
Nowadays, not only people but entire states can become victims of hackers. The effectiveness and consequences of using cyber weapons, a term increasingly used by scholars, can be equated to weapons of mass destruction.
Cybersecurity has become one of the main concerns for Ukraine, especially now, when the country is defending its independence from its aggressive neighbor – Russia. Despite the battles on the front and air attacks in various regions of the country, Russian hackers attempt to breach the information security of state institutions, including the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces.
Cyberattacks are an integral part of Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine, where Russia seeks to weaken Ukraine's ability to defend itself through cyberattacks.
What's the solution?
During a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) on September 19, the defense ministers of Ukraine, Estonia, and Luxembourg held the initial meeting of a new IT coalition within the Ramstein format.
"The task of the IT coalition is to provide a secure and resilient IT infrastructure for the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces, allowing Ukraine to be more effective on the battlefield," said Ukraine's Minister of Defense Rustem Umierov.
How does it work?
With Denmark joining, assistance is provided under the auspices of the IT coalition for Ukraine, led by Estonia and Luxembourg. Denmark and other members of the IT coalition signed a cooperation agreement within the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting.
Denmark is donating 91 million Danish kroner for priority cyber projects in the IT coalition to strengthen the overall cyber defense of the Armed Forces.
"The donation is important to the long-term support of Ukraine's cyber defense. Since the beginning of the invasion, Denmark has made a significant contribution to Ukraine's fight for freedom, including in the cyber sphere," said Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen. "We have donated several times to support cybersecurity and critical IT infrastructure in Ukraine. So, it is natural that we make a contribution to support Ukraine in an area where we are already actively working."
Besides Denmark, the coalition includes Estonia, Luxembourg, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Ukraine.
As of today, Denmark, Estonia, and Luxembourg have made financial contributions to the coalition.
In related news, the American corporation Google and Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation are launching an updated course on artificial intelligence, "Fundamentals of AI," in Ukraine.
Moreover, the Ministry of Digital Transformation team met with Google's leadership during the World Economic Forum in Davos. During the meeting, the company announced that it would continue cooperation with Ukraine in cybersecurity. In 2024, it will provide 5,000 security keys to protect the accounts of Ukrainian government officials.
