On 11-12 March 2025, Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum (KICRF) 2025 gathered over 1000 attendees – local and global cybersecurity leaders, influential decision – and policymakers, cyber diplomats from the government, business, industry, think tanks, investors, experts, and media.
The forum with the main theme “Defending Democracy” was opened by Oleksandr Lytvynenko, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, who, in his speech, emphasized that modern information and cyber technologies not only unlock limitless opportunities but also present complex challenges and threats.
As was mentioned during the intro video named “What’s in our code?” at the beginning of the conference: “Ukraine is a leading cyber security outpost today. Ukraine stands as a fortress of global cyber resilience. Ukraine is the firewall of the free world.”
Key figures
- 1000+ attendees
- 101 speakers
- 15+ countries: Estonia, Latvia, France, USA, Poland, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Spain, Denmark, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Japan
- 4 side events: Capture the Flag Competition, The DOT-Chain Bug Bash, Tallinn Mechanism roundtable discussion and workshop “Data Protection In Times of War: Lessons From Cyberattacks On Ukraine’s Critical Infrastructure”
The two intensive days
During the two intensive days dozens of cyber professionals shared unique expertise about cyberoperations in military conflicts, hybrid and FIMI threats, innovations and solutions for cyber resilience, risks and benefits of the emerging technologies and partnerships at war time. Ukrainian cyber security experts provided frontline experience in cyber warfare, as over years Ukraine is the forefront of cyber war and a global center for cyber resilience.
Among the featuring speakers of the event were top Ukrainian and international government representatives, including Oleksandr Lytvynenko, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Maciej Stadejek, Director for Security and Defence Policy, European External Action Service, Juhan Lepassaar, Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), Volodymyr Karastelyov, Acting Head of the SBU Cyber Security Department, Luca Tagliaretti, Executive Director at European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC), Mart Noorma, Director of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE).
There were plenty of insightful keynotes, panel discussions, workshops by the prominent global business leaders from Google, Fortinet, CrowdStrike, Cloudflare, ESET, Thales, CISCO as well as benchmarks of the Ukrainian cyber ecosystem Cyber Unit Technologies, UnderDefense, ISSP, GigaCloud, iIT Distribution, CyberLab, Hideeze, Molfar, Amonsul, Osavul.
Two cyber battles
WIthin Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum took place two unique side events:
12 teams with 61 participants participated at the Capture the Flag Competition – a two-day cybersecurity competition (CTF) with challenges for cybersecurity professionals of the public and private sectors, aiming at boosting their qualifications and honing their professional skills. Winners:
- The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine – dotXYZ team.
- Cyber Police – Cybercops team.
- Armed Forces of Ukraine – mav3rik team 130.
The DOT-Chain Bug Bash – a two-day event during which teams of «ethical hackers» will be looking for vulnerabilities in the web resources of the State Enterprise «State Logistics Operator». Winners:
- Alona.
- Whit3_L1ght.
- nigel.
Partnerships
Being the annual event, KICRF’s mission is to build lasting partnerships and coalitions between likeminded democratic states, driving cybersecurity innovations and strengthening defense across public and private sectors.
During the second day of the Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum 2025 a high-level roundtable discussion titled “Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships in Cybersecurity. B2B and B2Gov cooperation and opportunities UA and International companies. Tallinn Mechanism” took place with participation of key representatives from Ukraine’s public and private sectors, along with members of international delegations, to discuss the evolution, successes, and future objectives. The roundtable aimed to reinforce the importance of international cybersecurity cooperation, particularly in the context of public-private partnerships.
KICRF 2025 confirmed that the forum is a platform for meaningful discussions, experience exchange, and collaborative work on strategies that shape the future of cyber resilience.
