KIEV - Ukraine has accepted the Netherlands’ offer for help against cyber attacks, said a spokesperson for the Dutch Ministry of Defense. Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Foreign Affairs Minister Wopke Hoekstra recently made the offer during a visit to Kyiv.
The offer concerns the Cyber Rapid Response Team. This is an EU project led by Lithuania which provides technical support in the field of cybersecurity. The team was activated on Tuesday. The Dutch contribution to this team comes from the Cyber Security Center run by the Ministry of Defense.
One Dutch specialist is immediately ready for the possible deployment, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense said. This work can be performed in Kyiv, but also in the Netherlands. The final details were still being arranged. Following that, a comprehensive plan will be made to determine how many specialists are deployed in total, and when.
The Defense Ministry emphasized that the work of the Cyber Rapid Response Team will have a “defensive character.” They will investigate vulnerabilities in the Ukrainian IT systems, the spokesperson said.