Ukraine, Romania and Moldova Boost Cyber Defence in Joint Exercise
April 07, 2025
Despite progress across the region in building national cyber response systems, many countries remain underprepared for the kind of cyber aggression that can emerge during wartime. This reality highlights the urgent need for coordinated contingency planning and cross-border cooperation.
To help meet that need, the EU Advisory Mission (EUAM) Ukraine led the first-ever cybersecurity Tabletop Exercise (TTX) in partnership with the National Cyber Security Coordination Center (NCSCC) under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC).
Held on 3–4 April in Ivano-Frankivsk under the theme “Enhancing Cross-Border Cyber Resilience,” the event gathered over 50 participants from Ukraine, Romania and Moldova. Attendees included officials from the NSDC, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Border Guard Service, the State Emergency Service, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Cyber Police/Critical Infrastructure Department, the National Bank of Ukraine, the Center for Countering Disinformation at the NSDC. They were joined by representatives from Romania’s National Cybersecurity Directorate and the Euro-Atlantic Resilience Centre, Moldova’s Information Technology and Cybersecurity Service (STISC) and Cybersecurity Agency (ASC), as well as top-ranking officials and ambassadors to Ukraine from these countries. Regional and academic voices were also present, with contributions from Ivano-Frankivsk authorities, King Danylo University, and local law enforcement.
The two-day exercise provided a platform for regional actors to exchange expertise, test joint frameworks, and improve cooperation beyond traditional institutional silos. Participants worked through scenarios involving cyber-attacks, sabotage, covert operations, and disinformation campaigns. The format included TTX simulations, Capture the Flag competitions and crisis communication drills.
“Exercises like this help us understand how we can act faster and more effectively when cyber incidents hit critical infrastructure,” said Serhii Prokopenko, Head of NCSCC Operations Department – Deputy Head of Information Security and Cybersecurity Directorate at the Staff of the NSDC of Ukraine. “We need more cooperation like this – not only within Ukraine but with our neighbours, because cyber threats don’t stop at borders.”
The focus was not only on response, but also on strengthening strategic communication, refining protocols for information sharing, and enhancing regional coordination mechanisms.
“At EUAM, we believe that this inter-regional, cross-border information-sharing platform, developed in cooperation with Ukraine’s NCSCC, is a vital step forward. This initiative will continue to strengthen our collective efforts to build an inter-regional working group of experts within our cybersecurity community,” said Dragos Dima, Senior Adviser on Cyber Security at EUAM. “This is part of the Mission’s wider mandate to contribute to civilian security sector reform in Ukraine, including support for good governance, the rule of law, and resilience in the face of war.”
This exercise set the stage for more integrated, forward-looking cyber cooperation across Eastern Europe – and helped lay the groundwork for a stronger, faster, and more unified regional response to future cyber challenges.
