Yesterday in Tallinn, member states of the IT Coalition Steering Group gathered for their ninth meeting to receive an update on recent developments and Ukraine’s most urgent needs in communications and information technology. In total, the member states of the Coalition led by Estonia and Luxembourg have contributed over one billion euros worth of assistance to Ukraine over the past two years.
“This week is a significant one for the cyber defence community—top experts from around the world are gathering in Estonia for the CyCon annual conference, hosted by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. That is why the IT Coalition Steering Group is meeting now as well—because in addition to technological advancement, one of the key ingredients for success in cyber defence is close communication and the exchange of experience,” said Tuuli Duneton, Undersecretary for Defence Policy at the Estonian Ministry of Defence, who chaired the Coalition meeting. “We are especially pleased to welcome Ukrainian experts, whose experiences from the Russian war of aggression place them currently at the absolute forefront of cyber defence.”
“Our partners understand the urgency of Ukraine’s technological needs and are helping to build and scale projects that make our Armed Forces faster and more effective. Thanks to their contributions, we are strengthening the Defence Forces’ digital capabilities — reinforcing the Oberih personnel registry, expanding our Reserve and Army+ applications, ensuring units have reliable and resilient communications, and scaling up the use of the DELTA battlefield management system. We are grateful to the IT Coalition for its continued and unwavering support,” said Kateryna Chernohorenko, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defence for Digital Transformation.
“It is a great source of pride that we have jointly raised over one billion euros in support of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces in the area of communications and technology. Germany, the United States, and Sweden have been particularly notable contributors. The main challenge now, beyond the aid already delivered, is to get the rest of the pledged support to the battlefield and to address a number of critical needs that the Ukrainians described to us in more detail,” added Undersecretary Duneton.
In 2024 and 2025, the member states have together contributed €1,1 billion in both financial and material assistance. The procurement of the support provided through the IT Coalition is managed by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). Estonia’s contribution to the IT Coalition in 2025 is €5 million and €253,000, in addition to the €2,5 million already provided.
In addition to the discussions, members of the Ukrainian coalition demonstrated the functioning of key battle management systems to their colleagues and shared their experiences during a roundtable discussion opened by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
The IT Coalition was launched at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting in September 2023 and is co-led by Estonia and Luxembourg. The goal of this capability coalition is to support the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces in developing a secure ICT infrastructure in line with NATO standards, thereby enhancing Ukraine’s combat capabilities. To date, 18 countries have joined the coalition, including Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Japan, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Ireland, and Canada.
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Photos: IT-koalitsiooni juhtgrupi kohtumine Tallinnas (27.05.2025) | Flickr