Need for funding Special Communications Service exceeds UAH 10 bln annually, real receipts – about 40%

The State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection notes the need for additional financing of its work.

"In terms of numbers, the need for funding the service exceeds UAH 10 billion per year. We receive about UAH 4 billion from the budget. In 2020, development was financed by 12%, this year – by 28%. In 2019, due to the crisis, a lot was underfunded. Some of our systems lost their licenses for some time and became unavailable. Only in 2021, everything was restored and thanks to the help of the Deputy Prime Minister and the President, we were able to reach the minimum required level," Head of the State Special Communications Service Yuriy Schyhol said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

According to him, underfunding is a big problem for the State Special Communications Service.

"Both cyber defense and government communications are areas that no one remembers when everything is working well. But as soon as something happens, everyone recalls it, and only then they hear that we need more money and need to somehow finance the Service," he said.

Schyhol also noted the problem with human resources, based on insufficient salaries for cyber specialists.

"Almost 90% of people who are involved in cyber defense in our structure are graduates of our university. After completing their studies, cadets must work in government structures for at least five years. And the key problem is how to make sure that they stay after the first term of the contract. After all, despite the wage at the Service increased by 20% this year, we still do not reach the minimum wage in the industry," he stressed.

Source: www.en.interfax.com.ua