Shaping Cybersecurity Conference

Russia aims to undermine European security, prosperity and freedom. To that end, Russian state and non-state cyber actors weaponize digital technologies across a wide range of issues and targets. In the context of its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has massively ramped up its cyberattacks against Europe. Russian actors use cyberattacks on political institutions, critical infrastructure, supply chains, and public services to destabilize our democracies and economies as well as to erode public trust.

Russia’s malicious cyber activities have also blurred the lines between war and peace in the cyber domain, casting a shadow far beyond Ukraine. In December 2025, Germany has attributed a cyberattack on its air traffic control as well as the Russian disinformation campaign Storm 1516 to Russia’s Military Intelligence Service GRU. These activities also highlight broader hybrid threats posed by Russia against Ukraine’s partners in Europe.

Amid growing geopolitical uncertainty, Germany, as one of the primary targets of Russian cyberattacks, needs to adjust its cyber security capabilities and policies accordingly. Europe’s ability to also act in cyberspace is becoming a prerequisite for protecting our security, freedom, and prosperity against Russian threats. Given the fast innovation cycle of digital technologies and its direct implications on security policy, links between security, economic and innovation policy need to be strengthened, also with regard to European sovereign cyber solutions.

This conference focuses on how we can effectively respond to growing cyberthreats, drawing on lessons from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and other case studies. It aims to identify necessary policy measures for Germany and Europeans, also in the transatlantic context, to strengthen cybersecurity frameworks, innovation, and sustainable cybersecurity capabilities.