WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th February, 2022) NATO is helping Ukraine bolster its cybersecurity to deal with the possibility of Russian cyberattacks during an invasion, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday.
"(Cybersecurity is) a very important part of our concerns about the situation that Ukraine is facing, and it's very hard to imagine any kind of aggression without a significant cyber dimension. We've already seen cyberattacks against Ukraine, and that's also the reason why NATO allies have stepped up our support to help Ukraine to strengthen their cyber networks to help them to deal with the threat coming from Russia," Stoltenberg said in an interview with MSNBC.
However, NATO-member Hungary recently blocked Ukraine's accession to the alliance's Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence, according to a report from Ukrainian news website European Pravda.
Tensions between Ukraine and Hungary arose due to the Ukrainian law on education, which entered into force in 2017, significantly reducing the possibility of education in the languages of national minorities, including in Hungarian.
Stoltenberg said that NATO recognizes the importance of protecting their networks and has made cyber an independent operational domain of the alliance.
NATO shares best practices and information in order to ensure protection of networks during a possible cyberattack, Stoltenberg added.
The situation regarding Ukraine has worsened over the past several months after the United States and its NATO allies accused Russia of a troop build-up near the border with Ukraine and of allegedly preparing an invasion.
Russia has repeatedly denied the accusations, saying it does not plan to attack any country, including Ukraine, but reserves the right to move troops within its sovereign territory. Russia has also pointed to NATO's military activities near Russia's borders and warned the alliance's plans to expand further eastward are a threat to its national security.
