TALLINN, Estonia — Ukraine has surprised the world with its ability to fend off major cyberattacks from Russia. And one small country — Estonia — has played an outsized role in helping them do so.
The nation of just over 1 million, which has fought off cyberattacks inside its borders from Russia for years, is now leading many of the efforts to provide cyber threat intelligence, funding and critical international connections to protect Ukraine from Russian hackers.
In interviews in Tallinn, Estonian officials provided fresh details about how they aid cybersecurity workers in a besieged Ukraine and coordinate with more powerful allies in Europe and the U.S. in the global effort to defend against Russia’s digital attacks.
It’s a partnership that illustrates a unique aspect of modern cyber warfare — some of the most sustained efforts to protect networks are coming from smaller or less-resourced countries that have been the repeated victims of attacks and have learned the hard way about the need to invest in cyber armies.
Luukas Ilves, Estonia’s chief information officer, said he speaks with Ukrainian counterparts weekly, while some of his colleagues are in “daily contact.” Their assistance has included tasking Estonian cybersecurity professionals to help thwart attempted hacks of Ukrainian critical infrastructure such as power substations and satellites.
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