Joint international military exercises of NATO countries... within the implementation of programs supporting peace and security in Ukraine

Abstrakt

This article considers the issue of annexation of the Ukrainian Crimea peninsular territory by the Russian
Federation and further deployment of the secessionist movement in the southeastern regions of Ukraine that
subsequently developed into a military conflict in the east of Ukraine. The research analysed the directions
and character of the cooperation between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Alliance military units. The
level of practical interaction within the framework of existing NATO-Ukraine bilateral partnership programs,
including military trainings, was also identified. The chronology of transformation of organizational forms
of Ukrainian army’s presence in the east of Ukraine from the Anti-Terrorist Operation to the Joint Forces
Operation and the role of NATO in this process were also considered. The elements of the North Atlantic
Alliance’s influence on the reform of the Ukrainian army were identified directly following the requirements
and standards defined by the Organization. The role of NATO’s Liaison Office, located in Kyiv, Ukraine, and
the Center for Security and Information Processing was outlined. Particular attention was paid to the issue
of counteracting cybercrimes and protecting the state’s information systems from external influences. In
particular, reference was made to the protection of the state’s critical infrastructure elements (nuclear power
plants, strategic state-owned enterprises, etc.), including electronic registers of citizens e-lists and the state’s
banking system databases. The activities of the NATO Cybercrime Operations Centers and the establishment
of similar institutions in Ukraine were also researched. The maritime component of cooperation between
Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was analysed, taking into account the aggravation of
the situation in Azov-Black Sea region during 2018, associated with the passage of Ukrainian warships of the
Azov Fleet of the Naval Forces of Ukraine through the Kerch Strait which is under the control of the occupying
troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. As a result, so-called border conflicts were caused
leading to the capture of Ukrainian warships and sailors by Russians in November 2018.