Ukraine’s ‘IT Army’ Stops 1,300 Cyberattacks in 8 Months of War

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the G20 Summit’s “Digital Transformation” panel this week, offering the benefits of his embattled country’s cyber-defense experience to G20-allied countries.

Zelensky noted that Ukraine’s “IT army,” made up of talent pooled from companies across the country, has successfully stopped more than 1,300 Russian cyberattacks over the past eight months of the Russian invasion. That experience, he said, offers lessons for protecting civilian populations from the kinds of brutal cyberattacks that have been leveled against his country as part of Russia’s invasion.

For instance, after Russia destroyed a major data center in the country, Ukraine switched to the cloud, allowing it to build public registers and make payments to citizens effected by the war, he said. The country’s Diia state site is operating and able to provide 100 contactless public services, including providing digital passports, accepting tax payments, and more, Zelensky said during his speech to the G20. 

“My good advice to you is to take Ukrainian defense experience in order to guarantee the safety of your people,” Zelensky said. “Ukraine is willing to help. Our security experience is your security experience. And please remember that everything must now be considered from the point of view of security.”