The damage caused by Russian hackers would have been “very significant” without British help, said Leo Docherty, a junior foreign secretary. He told Sky News that the UK has also strengthened its own cyber defenses because of “a very significant cyber threat from Russia”. “We are already on the front line … We are aware of the threat. We have increased our own preparations and our own defences,” Mr Docherty said. Putin accused of ‘death by freezing’ scheme – latest in Ukraine “That’s why we have some deep expertise in cyber defense, and that’s why we’re very happy to share that with our Ukrainian allies.” Britain made its cyber support public because secrecy was no longer deemed necessary, officials said – a sign the Kremlin already knew. Worth around £6.35m, the so-called Ukrainian cyber program was activated after President Vladimir Putin launched his all-out war on 24 February. Physical strikes by Russian troops and tanks against Ukrainian targets have been combined with a significant increase in cyber attacks, officials said. The failure to deliver any significant cyber blow is not because the Russian hackers didn’t try, but is believed to be due to Ukraine’s cyber defenders, supported by experts from the cyber industry and foreign governments, including the UK, defeating or limiting the impact of their efforts. The UK has said it is playing a leading role in helping the Ukrainian government respond to cyber attacks and protect its networks and classified information. Read more: Russia faces ‘severe consequences’ if Vladimir Putin uses nuclear weapons British support relied on the expertise of the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), which is part of GCHQ. Lindy Cameron, executive director of the NCSC, said in a statement that her center “is proud to have played a role in supporting Ukraine’s cyber defenders. They have developed an impressive defense against Russian aggression in cyberspace, just as they have done on the physical battlefield.” Mr Docherty played down any suggestion that the UK’s decision to help Ukraine online could be seen by Russia as direct intervention in the war. “I think that’s absolutely honorable and not escalating,” he said. Instead, he likened it to the physical, but indirect, support Britain gave by providing the Ukrainian military with weapons such as artillery and anti-tank missiles. “It’s the Ukrainians on the front lines of the fight in terms of defending their homeland and … we’ve provided some of the hardware and expertise to allow them to do that very, very effectively.” James Cleverley, the Foreign Secretary, said: “The UK’s support for Ukraine is not limited to military aid – we rely on Britain’s leading expertise to support Ukraine’s cyber defences. “Together, we will ensure that the Kremlin is defeated in every sphere: on land, in the air and in cyberspace.” The UK has also given hardware and software to strengthen Ukraine’s cyber defences, including firewalls to prevent attacks and protection against denial of service attacks, to ensure people can access vital information and services. In addition, the support includes forensic capabilities so that cyber analysts in Ukraine are better able to understand who attacked them and how.
