The Federation of Military-Technological Sports of Ukraine and SET University signed a memorandum of strategic cooperation aimed at developing cybersecurity through educational programs, CTF (Capture The Flag) competitions, and preparing Ukrainian athletes to participate in international tournaments.
The Federation of Military-Technological Sports of Ukraine and SET University signed a memorandum of strategic cooperation aimed at developing cybersecurity through educational programs, CTF (Capture The Flag) competitions, and preparing Ukrainian athletes to participate in international tournaments.
«Military-technological sports are not about the future, they are about the present. Ukraine was the first in the world to recognize CTF as an official sports discipline, and we are already creating a national system for training cyber athletes. The Federation, together with state and technical partners, is forming a new infrastructure of cyber resilience — through sports, education, and real challenges», — commented Artur Bulingin, President of the Federation of Military-Technological Sports of Ukraine.
According to SET University President Iryna Volnytska, who joined the Federation Committee, this is «another important step towards creating a strong cybersecurity sector in the country.
In 2025, Capture The Flag (CTF) was officially recognized as a sport in Ukraine within the framework of military-technological sports. Ukraine became the first in the world to recognize CTF competitions at the national level.
The first-ever official regional competition in cybersecurity (CTF) as a type of military-technological sport took place on July 26–27, 2025. Regional championships were held in Vinnytsia, Rivne, and Mykolaiv regions, which became part of the national selection for the Ukrainian CTF Championship.
The competition was held at the Unit Range national cyber polygon with technical support from Cyber Unit Technologies. Participants solved tasks in the categories of Web, Crypto, Reverse, PWN, OSINT, Forensics, including a special author’s challenge from Cyber Lab.
Within the framework of the regional cybersecurity championships, the best teams in individual regions were determined. In Vinnytsia, the Samurai team won, Cyber Support took second place, and RCE Ninjas took third. In Rivne region, the 0xRivne team won first place, NUWM took silver, and 404TEAM took bronze. Among the teams in Mykolaiv region, BARRACUDA became the leader, Ghost in the Shellcode took second place, and 0xMK UA took third place.
These teams will represent their regions at the finals of the Ukrainian Cybersecurity Championship in September 2025.
In addition, a special open tournament, CYBER UNIT UNITED, was held on July 26–27, which received the official status of a national selection stage. The event was made possible thanks to the initiative of Cyber Unit Technologies and the Institute for Cyber Warfare Research (ICWR).
The victory was won by the dcua team, second place was taken by ByteMe, and third place was taken by dttua. In addition to the prize-winners, the following teams also received additional qualification to the final of the Ukrainian Championship: DNAcademy, Gongo, Exploit, Snufkink, XYZ.NXT, 0xSum, and LocalHost.
«These competitions were not only the first step towards the final of the Ukrainian Championship, but also a historic event — the first example in the world of implementing regional CTF selections as an official sport,» said Vitaly Lavrov, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine for Digital Transformation.
The winners of the regional CTF competitions will advance to the finals of the Ukrainian Cybersecurity Championship. The winners will form the basis of the national team that will represent Ukraine at the European Cybersecurity Challenge 2025 in Poland. In addition, the finalists will receive grants for a master’s degree in cyber security at SET University.
A training base for the national team will be created in partnership with SET University.
«We see how cyber threats are changing the world. That is why we are convinced: CTF is a new type of strategic sport», — said Yevgeny Vladimirov, head of the Federation’s National Cyber Competition Committee.
The Federation of Military-Technological Sports of Ukraine is already planning preparations for the next season. Students, IT specialists, military personnel, civil servants, and anyone who wants to try their hand at open cybersports competitions will be able to participate in the regional stages of the 2026 Ukrainian Cybersecurity Championship (CTF).
Earlier, the Head of the State Special Communications Service, Oleksandr Potiy, said that there is a shortage of cybersecurity specialists in Ukraine, which he estimates at tens of thousands. According to him, there is practically no labor market in this field at the moment, but there is potential for growth, and this is, first of all, «very good for the private sector».
