KICRF 2026: International Cybersecurity Forum at Parkovy Congress and Exhibition Center

On February 19–20, the Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum (KICRF 2026) took place at Parkovy — a landmark international cybersecurity event that brought together representatives of governments, businesses, the tech industry, and the scientific community from 38 countries. The forum gathered over 2,000 participants and 163 speakers as part of a two-day program featuring 50 talks and panel discussions. 

Supported by the governments of the United States and Canada, the event became a platform for strategic dialogue and the exchange of technologies, knowledge, and expertise between Ukrainian and international cybersecurity communities.

Ukraine’s cyber resilience experience, shaped under the conditions of full-scale war and constant attacks, is increasingly defining the global agenda. In 2025 alone, the CERT-UA team handled nearly 6,000 cyber incidents — a 37% increase compared to the previous year. At the same time, the number of incidents with critical consequences continues to decline annually, demonstrating the effectiveness of the national cybersecurity system.

Among the forum speakers were:

• Oleksandr Potii,

• Volodymyr Karastelov,

• Nataliia Tkachuk,

• Moxie Marlinspike,

• Andrii Zhukovskyi,

• Mikael Björknert,

• as well as ambassadors of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Estonia, the Netherlands, and Poland.

The practical track of the forum was truly unique. For the first time in Ukraine, the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) was held, where 30 teams — a total of 142 specialists — competed in defending real infrastructure. Notably, both human teams and AI agents participated in the same field. The winner was team dotXYZ (State Border Guard Service of Ukraine), second place went to AI agents ARIMLABS, and third place to team 38007 (Cyber Police Department).

The forum also featured a Bug Bash — a two-day vulnerability discovery мараthon.

The event utilized nearly the entire Parkovy complex.

The Small Exhibition Hall hosted the CCDC competitions, with the space adapted for team-based work: tables and seating were arranged across the hall to ensure each team could operate independently.

In the Big Exhibition Hall, a stage was installed for speakers, where lectures, TTX strategic exercises, and a series of specialized workshops took place alongside partner expo stands.

On the third floor, the 750 sq.m Convention and Concert Hall was configured in a classic large-scale conference setup: a main stage with an LED screen and theater-style seating. Conference areas featured photo zones, networking spaces, and an Expo area with 17 Ukrainian and international brands and 8 startups. Additional rooms were arranged for тематических sessions and workshops.

Following the forum, several international agreements were signed, including a trilateral Memorandum between Ukraine, Romania, and Moldova to establish a regional cyber alliance. The launch of the Netherlands–Ukraine Cyber Fund with a €2.5 million budget was also announced.

Among the partners of KICRF were Mastercard, Kyivstar, PrivatBank, CrowdStrike, Cloudflare, ESET, Sheriff, and MHP, among other leading organizations.

KICRF was organized by the National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity in partnership with CRDF Global, Cyber Unit Technologies, and Cyberwarfare Research Institute.

Parkovy is proud to be the venue where the global architecture of cyber resilience is being shaped.