Following the cyberattack which targeted various sites of Ukrainian government institutions, the European Union (EU) has said it stands ready to provide concrete support to Kyiv against Russia.
Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Estonia, Romania and Croatia will provide Ukraine with a team of experts to help it combat computer attacks from Russia. This team was initially set up to help other EU countries fight against cyber threats.
The move comes after Moscow’s recognition of two separatist regions in Ukraine, which sparked strong criticism from Westerners and fueled fears of a possible Russian invasion of the country.
On Monday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia was using hybrid tactics to escalate the situation. “We see disinformation campaigns, we see cyberattacks. We see obvious fake news being spread about Ukraine and we see increased military activity,” he told reporters in Brussels.
Kuleba called on the EU to take decisions that “would send clear messages to Russia that its escalation will not be tolerated and that Ukraine will not be left on its own”.
“This includes not only political messages, political signals, but also some very specific actions like supporting the development of our defence sector, supporting Ukraine’s cybersecurity, adopting some of the sanctions,” he added.
British cybersecurity experts are also helping Ukraine protect against potential Russian cyberattacks, said Ben Wallace, British Defense Minister.