Ukraine expands its Russia sanctions including on cyber security

On 29 December 2016 the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine imposed additional sanctions on Russia (the “aggressor-state”) and extending existing measures for a year, sanctioning (see press release):

1. People “illegally elected to the State Duma after the so-called ‘elections’, held by the occupation authorities in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.
2. Members of the “so-called ‘election commissions’ in Crimea”.
3. Ukrainian companies that were “illegally re-registered according to the Russian legislation”.
4. Russian officials in law enforcement agencies and courts involved in the “illegal detention of Ukrainian citizens in Russia”.
5. The former leaders of Ukraine, who were “put on the international wanted lists and who are hiding abroad and still has been involved in the financing of terrorist activities and hybrid aggression of Russia against Ukraine”.
6. Legal entities controlled by Russia, “involved in the hybrid war against Ukraine in the sphere of information and cyberspace… Cyber-attacks against information systems of government agencies and critical infrastructure of Ukraine, coordinated by RF, conditioned the need of urgent measures taking to strengthen the quality of cyber-defend and cyber-security systems. In particular, it is all about the improvement of legislation, standardization ensuring, the unification of software and hardware solutions for the needs of the state, the development of defended National telecommunications network, the protection of state information resources and strengthen the security and defense authorities capacities in cyberspace.”

The Council also (a) commissioned the Cabinet of Ministers and Security Service to take urgent measures to improve its cyber security systems; (b) approved the draft of “Doctrine of information security of Ukraine” on freedom of speech and information policy to provide “effective measures implementation to counter Russian propaganda and bases on strict observance of values of free speech, journalists’ rights and Ukrainian media development”; and (c) supported the developed by Defense Ministry of Ukraine programme of Armed Forces development.