Ukraine’s parliament has passed a bill in its first reading that would create a dedicated Cyber Force within the Armed Forces. If passed in a second vote and signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the legislation will, for the first time, unify Ukraine’s offensive and defensive military cyber capabilities under a single command.
The proposed Cyber Forces would conduct cyber operations, gather intelligence, defend military networks, and build secure digital infrastructure aligning Ukraine’s cyber posture more closely with NATO standards.
The new branch will report directly to Commander-in-Chief and will be staffed by both mobilized troops and transfers from existing units. Kyiv has earmarked 14 million hryvnias (approximately $336,000) in the 2025 budget to launch the initiative.
The bill envisages the creation of a cyber reserve, a pool of civilian tech experts who could be called upon for temporary service without formally joining the military. The reserve will be managed by the General Staff's Main Directorate of Radio Electronic and Cyber Warfare, which will also oversee training and coordination efforts.
First introduced to parliament in December 2024, the bill aims to modernize Ukraine’s cyber capabilities in response to evolving threats and ongoing hybrid warfare from Russia.
