What the cybersecurity sector can learn from the digital battlefield in Ukraine
“Command & control is central: the real-time integration, fusion, and analysis of data from diverse sources,” says Henri van Soest of research organization RAND Europe.
Henri van Soest is a research leader at RAND Europe and Professor of Policy Analysis at the RAND School of Public Policy. There he leads research into emerging and disruptive technologies in the fields of defense and security. His recent research focuses on the deployment of AI in critical national infrastructure.
According to Van Soest, Ukraine functions as a “living laboratory” in which new digital defense concepts are tested and adapted at an accelerated pace under extreme pressure.
The direction is bottom-up
At Cybersec Europe 2026, Van Soest will take visitors to the digital frontline in Ukraine on May 20 with his keynote, “The future of warfare: lessons from the digital frontline in Ukraine.”
Van Soest emphasizes that Ukraine’s approach is based on a bottom-up model in which decentralized producers develop low-cost, modular, and resilient systems. This tactic stands in stark contrast to traditional hierarchical military structures, yet it has proven itself in practice.
Ukraine’s defense is also a matter of resilience and robustness. The fact that the EU recently consulted Ukraine for its expertise in cybersecurity—particularly its approach to drones—is telling in this regard. For the cybersecurity sector, this underscores the importance of speed, scalability, and adaptability.
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