Until the end of spring, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) will receive special equipment to counter cyber threats as special assistance from NATO, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO Headquarters, Jamie Patrick Shea, has said.

"Let me also add that we are doing a lot with Ukraine on cyber defense … it [equipment] is on the point of being delivered, but we have procured the equipment. And we simply need to clear some of the usual import/export administrative formalities, but we hope to be able to do it very quickly. Our objective is to have everything installed, tested, and up and running by this summer," he said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

Shea recalled about the operation of the Ukraine-NATO trust fund on cyber defense, led by Romania (its contribution to the fund was EUR 500,000).

"In my division we have a trust fund which is headed by Romania but with other Allies participating. We have spent over EUR 300,000 to help the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and also to help the Ukrainian intelligence services with training and equipment to better detect cyber attacks and with forensics, in other words to get the details of cyber attacks, which will allow better responses and better attributions," he said.

The representative of the Alliance stressed that both special knowledge and equipment are important for effective provision of cyber security.

"It is obvious that in cyber you need both. You need individual skills, but you can rapidly augment them to improve individual skills with the equipment in terms of detecting a cyber attack, providing early warning, recording information. It's not just equipment. You need good skills, good processes, the right type of doctrine and organization. But you need the equipment as well. And we are providing the training as well," Shea said.