Cybersecurity Workshop: Ukraine and Romania Drill Cross-Border Response to Hybrid Threats
September 04, 2025
EUAM-led workshop in Chernivtsi brought Ukrainian and Romanian experts together to enhance cyber resilience, boost cross-border cooperation and defend against hybrid threats.
Ukraine is defending itself in many dimensions: with weapons on the battlefield, with arguments in diplomatic talks, with reforms in its institutions, and with solidarity from its partners. But it also faces another, quieter frontline — constant cyberattacks. These do not simply target computers. They can disrupt hospitals, stall banks and unsettle daily life for ordinary people. That is why stronger defences and regional cooperation are becoming essential.
Last week, Chernivtsi hosted a two-day Cybersecurity Workshop, organised by the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM) Ukraine together with Romania’s European-Atlantic Resilience Centre and National Cyber Security and Incident Response Team. The event gathered more than thirty Ukrainian officials — from the National Security and Defence Council, the State Service of Special Communications, the Security Service and the National Police — alongside IT experts, academics and regional officials. Their task was to learn, to practise, and to build connections that can withstand the next wave of cyber threats.
During the sessions, participants worked through real-life scenarios in CyberTrust simulation exercises, testing how well different agencies could respond when systems were attacked. They also learned concrete methods: detecting vulnerabilities, investigating digital traces, managing malware and using open-source intelligence. EU experts shared a new citizens’ guide on crisis management, showing how even families and small businesses can prepare for emergencies.
The workshop also reinforced a public-private alliance within Ukraine’s National Cybersecurity System and laid the groundwork for real-time cross-border data sharing on cyberattacks. This cross-border cooperation between Ukraine and Romania is essential for countering hybrid threats in the region.
The outcomes align with the EU’s Cyber Solidarity framework and toolbox, bringing Ukraine closer to European standards on its path to EU integration.
“Since 2023, EUAM has built a platform for continuous cooperation with Romanian counterparts, organising annual workshops, training, and large-scale exercises,” says Dragos Dima, EUAM’s Senior Advisor on Cybersecurity, who added that preparations are already under way for the next major test: a multinational table-top exercise (TTX) in 2026, designed to simulate complex cyberattacks and improve rapid response.
Cybersecurity may sound like something complicated and purely technical, but in reality it affects everyone. It is about making sure hospitals work without disruption, salaries are paid on time, and emergency lines are always available. As one participant noted: “Every such attack we prevent means fewer problems and disruptions in the lives of ordinary people.”
