British PM announces funding for new phase of UK-Georgia cybersecurity programme

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday announced an additional £5 million funding for a new phase of the United Kingdom-Georgia programme to strengthen the country's resistance to Russian cyber attacks, the UK Government said.

Revealed at the ongoing NATO Summit, the new programme will allow the Georgian National Security Council to deliver its new cybersecurity strategy, which involves efforts to identify and repel attacks “seeking to undermine” Georgian and European security. Johnson said the UK would also work “directly” with the Georgian Ministry of Defence to strengthen the latter’s cyber defences and capability.

The British Prime Minister said Russia had used Georgia as a “testing ground” for its cyber capability since the 2008 war, when some of the “world's first coordinated” cyber attacks had been used to sabotage the country’s security as Russia carried out its illegal annexation of the Georgian regions of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) and Abkhazia.

The people of Georgia live every day on the frontline of Russian aggression. Putin cannot be allowed to use Georgia’s sovereign institutions to sharpen the knife of his cyber capability. [...] The UK has world-leading cyber prowess and the support announced today will protect not just Georgia, but also the UK and all other free democracies threatened by Russian hostility”, Johnson noted in his comments.

He also highlighted the National Cyber Security Centre of the UK had worked “closely” with its Georgian counterpart since 2018, providing training and support to improve the country’s cyber capability, and added UK’s bilateral support for Georgia’s cyber security would be complemented by an additional package of tailored support from NATO, which would be agreed by leaders at the ongoing Summit in Madrid with a focus on increased defence training.

The announcement was made after a meeting between Johnson and his Georgian counterpart Irakli Garibashvili, who is holding meetings at the Summit and addressed the event.