Aliona Zavorotnia, software engineer at the Thermal Automation and Measurement Workshop of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant, and Alla Matvienko, lead engineer in the Department for Physical Protection of Nuclear Installations and Materials, Special Inspections, and Crisis Management at Energoatom, participated in a three-day seminar for women professionals in cybersecurity within Ukraine’s nuclear sector.
The event was organized by the Office of International Nuclear Security of the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Germany’s central nuclear safety organization Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS).
The seminar took place from March 5 to 7 at the GRS headquarters in Cologne, Germany. It included hands-on cybersecurity exercises, keynote speeches from renowned experts, and a guided visit to the Information Protection Center and the Radiation Situation Center.
“In this era of unprecedented cyberattacks targeting Ukraine’s critical and civilian infrastructure — combined with a shortage of human resources — it is crucial to strengthen our country’s cybersecurity capabilities,”
shared Aliona Zavorotnia.
“This week was intense and fascinating. We were divided into teams and worked on topics such as network attack detection and analysis, cyberattack scenario development, insider threats, and cyber effects. The knowledge we gained is both valuable and practical.
Additionally, such events help reinforce cybersecurity cooperation between Germany and Ukraine.”
Alla Matvienko also noted that the participants gave informal presentations during the seminar, sharing their experiences in overcoming personal and professional challenges, as well as issues related to gender inequality.
Ukrainian participants spoke in particular about their lived experiences working during wartime and under the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
