Winners of the regional stage of the Ukrainian Cybersecurity Championship in CTF format announced

On August 20, 2025, the winners of the regional stage of the Ukrainian Cybersecurity Championship in CTF format – the Cyber Unit United Championship – were awarded. First place went to the dcua team, second place to the ByteMe team, and third place to the dttua team.

Congratulating the participants, Serhii Demediuk, Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and Deputy Head of the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, emphasized the importance of developing young talent in the field of cybersecurity:

"Technology today competes with physical force, and we must accept this challenge. These competitions have proven that Ukraine has capable and motivated teams that are able to build the future of the state's cybersecurity. The organizers and participants deserve sincere respect for launching a large-scale initiative that has a great future."

The second part of the event was a round table discussion on the role of CTF competitions in building a talent pool and developing national cyber resilience. Representatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Federation of Technological Sports, the NGO “Institute for Cyber Warfare Research,” and the companies Cyber Unit Technologies and Cyberlab Computer Forensics Laboratory joined the discussion.

During the discussion, Natalia Tkachuk, Head of the Information Security and Cybersecurity Service of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Secretary of the National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, noted:

"Cyber competitions in the CTF format are not only a new type of technological sport, but also a powerful tool for educating young specialists. Cyber sports can become a direction where the energy of our youth will be directed. After all, without personnel, there will be no cyber defense system—neither technology nor investment can replace specialists. Therefore, this is an important investment in the development of the cybersecurity ecosystem and partnerships."

The roundtable participants emphasized that cyber sports competitions are becoming an effective mechanism for finding new talent in the regions. Among the teams were many students and young professionals working in communities and local government, demonstrating a high level of training and motivation. The growing role of women in cybersecurity was also noted: female participants in some teams outperformed their male colleagues.

The Ukrainian Cybersecurity Championship in CTF format is a national initiative aimed at forming a new generation of specialists, strengthening the state's human resources, and creating a powerful team capable of representing Ukraine at the international level. The final stage of the Championship will take place on September 6-7 this year in Kyiv.