On February 7-8, the capital of Ukraine hosted the first Kyiv International Cybersecurity Forum 2024: “Resilience in Cyber Warfare”.
This time, the topic of cybersecurity brought together government and business representatives, the cyber community, technology companies, and leading industry experts.
The Forum was opened by Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. In his speech, he noted that the digitalized world requires serious cyber defense and emphasized that the implementation of Ukraine’s digital policy is essential for Ukraine’s national resilience, especially during the war with the Russian Federation, when the country’s high degree of digitalization helps to overcome the challenges posed by aggression. Oleksiy Myacheslavovych also announced the further development of cyber diplomacy: “In our country, I think, there will be a position of a cyber diplomat in the near future, because this is a very, very important area of the struggle for light in this world.”
Guests of the event were greeted during the official opening: Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Anton Demokhin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization, Kateryna Chernogorenko, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization, Michael Dignam, CEO of CRDF Global.
“Despite the ongoing war in cyberspace and in the real world, we have to promote two ideas. The first is resilience, the theme of the forum that has brought us together. Resilience reflects the strength and flexibility of a society in the face of adversity. Ukraine has shown the world what it means to be resilient in response to cyberattacks and during connection failures, and we are happy to learn from you. The second is digital solidarity. Threats and challenges in cyberspace provide us with unique opportunities and a sense of urgency to stand shoulder to shoulder with partners and allies, to build and strengthen ties, to act together, to be united with Ukraine,” said Nathaniel Fick, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Cyberspace, U.S. Department of State.
Representatives of the international cyber community also spoke at the Kyiv International Cybersecurity Forum, including: Johannek Belfort, Director for Security and Defense Policy at the European External Action Service, Johan Lepasar, Director of the EU Cyber Security Agency (ENISA), Mart Noorma, Head of NATO’s Joint Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE), Jen Easterly, Director of the US Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection Agency (CISA).
In total, the two days of the Forum featured 10 panel discussions and over 35 expert presentations covering a wide range of topics, including: the role of cybersecurity in modern warfare, Ukraine’s experience in cyber warfare, cyber warfare and international law, cyber diplomacy, strengthening the resilience of the national cybersecurity system through education, messenger security, the role of cyber threat intelligence, regional cybersecurity, and others.
As part of KICRF, a two-day cybersecurity competition Capture the Flag was held. Twenty-one teams took part, with a total of 121 specialists from the public and private sectors. According to the competition scenario, each team had to complete 6 challenging tasks that simulated real attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. At the end of the second day, the organizers and judges selected three winners (1st place: #dotxyz team, 2nd place: Pspatron team, 3rd place: Gos team) who received certificates for online training courses and winners’ cups.
The event also included a meeting between representatives of the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and the National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity (NCCC) and the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection (SSSCIP). The consultations resulted in an agreed work plan of cooperation for the next two years. The document contains more than 20 specific steps aimed at supporting Ukraine on its way to EU membership, harmonizing cybersecurity legislation, exchanging experts, etc.
Representatives of the Tallinn Mechanism also gathered in Kyiv as part of the International Cybersecurity Forum. They issued a joint statement by all the member states of the Tallinn Mechanism, which was established on December 20, 2023 and supported by Ukraine, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The mechanism aims to coordinate the efforts of the parties and promote capacity building in the field of cybersecurity. All this is to help Ukraine protect itself from Russian aggression in cyberspace and meet its long-term cyber resilience needs.
“As Russia’s destructive cyber operations and cyber activities are expected to continue for the foreseeable future, the partners of the Tallinn Mechanism are ready to continue their support for as long as necessary,” the statement reads.
The Forum’s organizing team plans to continue working on the project and aims to make this event a powerful annual platform for discussing cyber resilience issues.
The event was launched by the National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity (NCCC) under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF Global). The Forum was supported by the U.S. Department of State.
The Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine joined the organization of the Forum.
Technology partners: Cyber Unit Technologies and the Institute for Cyber Warfare Research (ICWR).
Partners: Kóryos, Bakotech, Brave1, DC8044, CyberDiia, USF, Cyberlab.UA, UnderDefense, BugStream, Voda.ua.
General media partners: MC.today and ITC.UA.
Information partners: Interfax-Ukraine, Ukraine Business News, ArmyInform and SPEKA.
For more information about Kyiv International Cybersecurity Forum, please visit cyberforumkyiv.org.
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Dynamics of reserves of Ukraine from 2012 to 2023
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
Ukrainian entrepreneurs have been granted the opportunity to export fish and fish products to Kuwait, the press service of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection reports.
“This is the second foreign market for Ukrainian exporters that the Foreign Ministry and the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection are opening this week. The first was the Chinese market for honey producers, and now the Qatari market for fish and fish products. Negotiations with foreign partners to facilitate the entry of Ukrainian goods to foreign markets are ongoing. This is an important part of our work and a broader strategy to create new opportunities in the world for Ukrainian business,” said Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
According to Serhiy Tkachuk, head of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the work on opening markets is ongoing, with the priority being Asia and North America.
The agency advised fish and fish products producers to familiarize themselves with the requirements for importing these products to Kuwait.
The health certificate for the export of marine and river aquatic animals (fish, mollusks, crustaceans, needlefish, including those grown on farms) and products from them from Ukraine to the State of Kuwait is published on the official web portal of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection in the section “International Cooperation”, heading “Certificates for export from Ukraine”.
The State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection reminded that Ukraine has already agreed on the forms of bilateral certificates for exports of fish and fish products to the European Union, Azerbaijan, Great Britain, Israel, Iraq, Kuwait, Moldova, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Top reasons why people end up in the Register of Debtors
1.4 million debts have been accumulated by Ukrainians since the beginning of the full-scale war, according to the ERB. Among the debts in the register, the largest number is currently in favor of the state, administrative offenses and traffic fines.
The Unified Register of Debtors has increased by 1.4 million debts since the start of the full-scale war. For comparison, in 2021 alone, 1.5 million entries were added to the Register. The vast majority of new debts – 1.2 million or 80% – appeared last year.
What did Ukrainians owe during the full-scale war?
The number of debts for fines for administrative offenses and for non-payment of utility bills increased the most – by 38% and 30%, respectively. For comparison, the number of utility debts increased by one and a half times in 2021.
The number of debts in favor of the state remained almost unchanged: 1.95 million debts. In the first year of the great war, their number fell by 300,000, but in 2023 it reached the same level.
Debts for traffic fines increased by a quarter. It is worth noting that the vast majority of these debts, namely ⅔ of them, were added to the register in 2022. However, in the category of “Collection of funds”, debts decreased by 27.5% – in contrast to 2021, when the number of such debts increased by almost one and a half times.
The number of alimony debtors has increased by 4.5% in two years. For comparison, in 2021, their number increased by 4.7%.
It is worth noting that as of February 24, 2022, the category “Document that does not fall into the above categories” was added to the register. It may include debts from other sections.
In total, 8.91 million debts are currently recorded in the Unified Register of Debtors. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the list has increased by 1.4 million new debts.
Context.
Starting in February 2024, Ukrainians may once again have their utilities cut off, their cards blocked, and penalties charged for debts. By Resolution No. 1405, the Government lifted the moratorium on utility disconnections for debts. This decision does not apply to IDPs and people living in the temporarily occupied territories or in the war zone.
Structure of foreign exchange reserves as of 30.10.2023
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
Difficult wartime has affected both the purchasing power of Ukrainians and their behavioral habits. Due to frequent air raids, people prefer to make large-scale weekly purchases, but they prefer to see basic products of the economy segment and preferably of domestic production in their shopping carts. Toilet paper is always among the most necessary purchases. And how can you not make a mistake in choosing it?
Saving money can be expensive
Almost every consumer has experienced the disappointment of buying an ordinary roll of toilet paper at least once in their lives. A wrapper that couldn’t withstand transportation even in a hand-held shopping bag, a paper web that was not intact, pieces of waste paper left over from poor recycling, skin staining from using a colored product – and this is just a partial list of troubles that a buyer can get when purchasing a cheap product of dubious quality. But it’s not just about negative emotions from a bad purchase, as such paper can cause serious health problems for the user. Allergies, dermatitis, and even infections are the consequences of using low-quality toilet paper that require long and expensive treatment.
It is no coincidence that Obukhov 65 is a popular brand, as the Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill (KCPK) of the Austrian Pulp Mill Holding, where this toilet paper is manufactured, carefully monitors the safety of the most popular product.
An interesting fact: Today, about 1 million rolls of Obukhov 65 are produced daily at the plant.
The company has an integrated quality management system in place, and independent audits are conducted annually, including food safety audits, so the plant guarantees the safety of all its products. Compliance with European and national requirements is confirmed by the relevant certificates, and the waste paper processed into the base paper, the original product of the plant, undergoes 7 stages of purification.
Brand protection is a matter of honor and health
Kyiv KPK spends a lot of effort and money to protect its product from counterfeiting. After all, it is not only about the company’s reputation, but also about the safety of consumers who have been preferring the proven brand and trusting the manufacturer of Obukhiv 65 for decades.
An interesting fact: In their requests for assistance from Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill, charitable and public organizations, medical and educational institutions, volunteers and the military most often ask for Obukhov 65 toilet paper.
The company is responsible for ensuring that consumers receive a quality product. However, it is the buyer’s responsibility to pay attention to important details that will help him or her recognize the real Obukhov 65 from the fake:
– the wrapper is made of thin label paper with a characteristic rustle, has clear printing, without smudges of paint;
– the label indicates the manufacturer as PJSC “Kyivsky KPK”, depicts a roll with the company’s logo, and has a barcode and QR code that are easily scanned;
– the date of production must be indicated, and it differs by up to a minute on each roll. Usually, counterfeiters, if they do indicate the date, use the same time everywhere;
– the winding of the roll should be sufficiently tight, all rolls should be of the same shape, height and diameter.
Clear benefits at a reasonable price
There is a quite logical explanation for the fact that consumers of sanitary products in the economy segment prefer Obukhov 65 toilet paper, because, in addition to safety and reasonable price, they receive a number of additional benefits:
– Obukhov 65 is made of recycled paper, so by constantly buying these rolls, consumers save trees from being cut down, thus contributing directly to environmental protection and supporting the philosophy of sustainable consumption;
– by choosing the original Obukhov 65, the buyer takes care of his or her wallet, because this paper is economical and not only because of the price. A roll of Obukhov 65 lasts much longer than any other similar product;
– Obukhov 65 is a purely Ukrainian product, so by purchasing it, the consumer supports the domestic manufacturer, thus making a contribution to supporting our country’s economy, which is extremely important in wartime.
Therefore, it is hard to disagree that Obukhov 65 has maintained its reputation as a “people’s brand” for decades, and it is well deserved, as it meets not only modern requirements for sanitary products, but also the most daring expectations of its consumers, not only in Ukraine but also far beyond its borders.
Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill, Obukhov 65, Pulp Mill Holding
