The move comes as Russia continues to target Ukrainian
government systems and critical infrastructure, making cyber defense a central
component of the country’s wartime security strategy.
The centers, operating in every Oblast, identify
vulnerabilities in the protection systems of critical infrastructure
facilities.
“Our teams are located directly next to key sites and are
ready to quickly detect and neutralize any cyber threat,” Karasteliov said.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the SBU
department has neutralized more than 14,000 large-scale cyberattacks and
critical incidents, according to Karasteliov. Most were aimed at the resources
of central government bodies and strategically important businesses in the
energy, transportation and defense sectors, among others.
One of the SBU’s most successful recent defensive
operations, Karasteliov said, involved countering the Russian spyware virus
Pterodo. SBU cyber specialists developed special software that prevents Russian
hackers from extracting data from devices infected with the virus — there are
approximately 18,000 such devices in Ukraine.