Joint international military exercises of NATO countries within the implementation of programs supporting peace and security in Ukraine

This article considers the issue of annexation of the Ukrainian Crimea peninsular territory by the RussianFederation and further deployment of the secessionist movement in the southeastern regions of Ukraine thatsubsequently developed into a military conflict in the east of Ukraine. The research analysed the directionsand character of the cooperation between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Alliance military units. Thelevel of practical interaction within the framework of existing NATO-Ukraine bilateral partnership programs, including military trainings, was also identified. The chronology of transformation of organizational formsof Ukrainian army’s presence in the east of Ukraine from the Anti-Terrorist Operation to the Joint ForcesOperation and the role of NATO in this process were also considered. The elements of the North AtlanticAlliance’s influence on the reform of the Ukrainian army were identified directly following the requirementsand standards defined by the Organization. The role of NATO’s Liaison Office, located in Kyiv, Ukraine, andthe Center for Security and Information Processing was outlined. Particular attention was paid to the issueof counteracting cybercrimes and protecting the state’s information systems from external influences. Inparticular, reference was made to the protection of the state’s critical infrastructure elements (nuclear powerplants, strategic state-owned enterprises, etc.), including electronic registers of citizens e-lists and the state’sbanking system databases. The activities of the NATO Cybercrime Operations Centers and the establishmentof similar institutions in Ukraine were also researched. The maritime component of cooperation betweenUkraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was analysed, taking into account the aggravation ofthe situation in Azov-Black Sea region during 2018, associated with the passage of Ukrainian warships of theAzov Fleet of the Naval Forces of Ukraine through the Kerch Strait which is under the control of the occupyingtroops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. As a result, so-called border conflicts were causedleading to the capture of Ukrainian warships and sailors by Russians in November 2018.