President Donald Trump has cut off critical US cybersecurity aid to Ukraine, leaving the country more open to Russian cyberattacks. The disruption began just days after Trump was sworn into office in January and has since wiped out government support programs that had been helping Ukraine defend its digital systems. Those cuts included USAID funding, equipment shipments, cyber training, and even classified intelligence-sharing. According to Bloomberg, dozens of US and Ukrainian cybersecurity workers have been removed from their posts after contracts were paused or cancelled. The sudden drop in support comes as the Trump administration pushes Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to accept a peace deal many officials say favors Moscow. Vice President JD Vance said earlier this week that if neither side accepts the deal, the US may abandon the process entirely—something that could block future cyber aid altogether. Musk’s department dismantles USAID and freezes shipments In the past five years, the US had provided more than $200 million in cybersecurity help to Ukraine, mostly through USAID. That aid included equipment, software, and direct technical support. But since January, Elon Musk’s DOGE, has gutted the agency. In February, Musk claimed on X that USAID was interfering with global governments and promoting “radical left politics.” He didn’t give proof. Bloomberg’s report claims that hardware and software planned for Ukraine never arrived. Contracts for cyber staff in the US and Ukraine were ended before work could be finished. That includes workers protecting energy networks, telecom systems, and the Cabinet of Ministers, which runs Ukraine’s executive branch. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has backed the reviews, saying every dollar must “make the US safer, strong and more prosperous.” A State Department spokesperson confirmed that all cyber projects were now under review to meet Trump’s policy goals. When the Pentagon was asked in March if cyber offensives against Russia were halted, Bloomberg said it denied reports from The Record, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. DAI contract stalls, private sector steps in after shutdown The report also said that the largest cybersecurity contract funded by the US was worth $128 million, awarded to DAI Global LLC, a consulting firm based in Maryland. That deal covered everything from data recovery gear to backup servers, threat detection tools, and secure communication systems. It was supposed to run through September 2026 but now might not even survive 2025. People working on the project reportedly said that equipment for airports, radioactive waste facilities, the Chernobyl plant, and Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s national power company, has stopped arriving. They also said a plan to help Ukraine’s election commission was now frozen. Many of the project’s staff were furloughed after the January funding freeze. Some help came from CRDF Global, a contractor based in Virginia. That team had been running training programs and helping Ukraine build cybersecurity operations centers. Their work is now paused while the State Department continues its review. Even global efforts have been hit. The Tallinn Mechanism, a joint program from Canada, the UK, Germany, France, and Estonia, had pledged $200 million to support Ukraine’s cyber defenses. The US committed half of that through USAID. But the entire US contribution is now frozen, and it’s unclear if any of it will be sent. While government help has dried up, private firms are stepping in. Bloomberg reports that at least a dozen cybersecurity companies, including Mandiant, Palo Alto Networks, and Symantec (owned by Broadcom), are still helping through a group called the Cyber Defense Assistance Collaborative. That private support, worth around $40 million so far, includes tools to detect intrusions and intel on Russian hacking strategies. At the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, hackers linked to the Kremlin hit a US satellite company used by Ukraine’s military. That attack disrupted troop coordination. Ukraine also faced DDoS attacks and malware designed to wipe systems across the government and energy sectors. Cryptopolitan Academy: Coming Soon - A New Way to Earn Passive Income with DeFi in 2025. Learn More
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