Ukraine identified its strongest in e-sports: the final of the first Ukrainian CTF Championship was held in Kyiv

On 6-7 September, Kyiv became the main arena of cyber confrontation. The final of the first Ukrainian Championship in technological sports in the Capture the Flag (CTF) discipline took place at the UnitRange cyber range.

For two consecutive days, 33 of the country’s strongest teams competed in the Jeopardy and Attack/Defence formats, recreating real-life cyber defence scenarios and demonstrating resilience, expertise and team spirit. It showcased the high level of training of Ukrainian specialists and marked an important step in building human capacity for the protection of national cyberspace. 

The event was opened by representatives of state authorities and main partners, including Asier Santillán Luzuriaga, Head of Section for European Integration, Governance, Rule of Law and Civil Society of the EU Delegation to Ukraine. In his speech, he emphasised the strategic importance of the championship: “By bringing together more than 200 of the country’s most talented young cybersecurity specialists to compete in real-life formats, Ukraine is not only showcasing technical excellence, but also investing in the next generation of digital leaders. Cybersecurity is not just a technical challenge — it is a matter of national security, economic growth, and citizens’ trust. This event is a clear sign of Ukraine’s determination to lead in this area, even in the most difficult of circumstances.”

For two days, the championship venue was not only filled with competitions but also with lively discussions. On 7 September, the programme featured panel discussions on regional cybersecurity, the role of the cyber community in developing technological sports, education in the field of cyber defence and others.

The championship final was a triumph of team spirit and professionalism: victory went to the team “skif0perator” from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which will represent Ukraine at the European Cybersecurity Challenge 2025 in Poland. All finalists also received grants to pursue a master’s degree in cyber defence at SET University.

The results of the Championship were as follows:

▪️ 1st place: “skif0perator” (Autonomous Republic of Crimea)

▪️ 2nd place: “Snufkink” (Lviv region)

▪️ 3rd place: “ByteMe” (Kyiv)

The top ten also included teams from Rivne, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Mykolaiv regions, the team of the State Cyber Defence Centre of the State Special Communications Service (“Netflix\&Chill”), as well as two teams from the Institute of Special Communications and Information Protection at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (“Milworms” and “WireOnFire”).

The organisers of the event were the Federation of Technological Sports of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the State Special Communications Service. The project was implemented with the support of the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre under the National Security and Defence Council, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the EU4DigitalUA project, funded by the European Union.