INSTITUTIONAL CYBERSECURITY MECHANISMS: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE PRACTICES OF UKRAINE AND NATO COUNTRIES

Abstract

The article examines the institutional mechanisms for cybersecurity in Ukraine and NATO countries, in the context of national security and hybrid threats. The study’s relevance is driven by the growing number and complexity of cyberattacks that have become strategic tools for influencing governance and critical infrastructure. For Ukraine, facing ongoing Russian aggression, cyberspace has become a crucial dimension of modern warfare. Thus, the development of an effective institutional system for cyber defense, combining coordination, analytics, and operational response, has become a key national priority.

The article aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the institutional mechanisms of cybersecurity in Ukraine and NATO, focusing on the National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity (NCCC) under the NSDC of Ukraine and the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Tallinn. A systemic and comparative approach is applied to identify structural similarities and differences between governance models and to summarize NATO’s best practices in interagency coordination, analytical capacity building, cyber exercises such as Locked Shields, and the implementation of the “whole-of-society” approach.

The findings indicate that Ukraine is gradually aligning with NATO standards, though its cybersecurity system still requires institutional consolidation, sustainable funding, and professional development. Meanwhile, NATO’s model, represented by CCDCOE, is characterized by its integrated, research-driven, and training-oriented structure. The article proposes recommendations for strengthening Ukraine’s cooperation with CCDCOE, establishing analytical units, and introducing cyber readiness monitoring as essential steps toward enhancing national resilience in the digital era. To strengthen national cyber resilience, Ukraine should implement a number of NATO approaches in the field of cybersecurity: institutional strengthening of the NCSC - to transform the NCSC into a full-fledged center of strategic coordination and analytical forecasting, consolidating its right to initiate interagency decisions; implementation of «Whole-of-Society» - to translate the involvement of the private sector, the academic community, and NGOs into the format of permanent official partnerships; expansion of the training system - to create its own national comprehensive cyber training program, built on the Locked Shields model, with the involvement of all critical infrastructure operators and central government bodies; cyber readiness assessment - to institutionalize mechanisms for regular cyber readiness assessment (for example, through NCSI) with subsequent public reporting and integration of the results into strategic planning.