The Other IT Coalition

Since before February 24, 2022, the date in which this bout of hostilities started in Ukraine, technologists from around the world were looking at increased Russian cyber-aggression.

The international outcry following the massive attack on Ukraine motivated many to rush aid toward the embattled country.

“I can tell you straight up that, you know very, very early after the invasion, I personally knew executives from tech companies that were going over to Ukraine—in person—to provide them assistance, to provide them technology, to give them training,” said Egon Rinderer, chief technology officer at Shift5.

A crisis of this scale is an opportunity for innovators whose ideas were untested, and part of the interests for many of these entrepreneurs is in gaining crucial field experience with their capabilities.

“It’s not entirely selfless because they’re getting incredibly valuable feedback, but that feedback is pertinent to helping these people who desperately need your help,” Rinderer told SIGNAL Media in an interview.

Rinderer is also a technologist and in residence at U.S. Central Command, a pro bono term collaboration with the military, according to a CENTCOM release.

And many technologists’ processions to Ukraine are still in full swing.

“There were people from all over the NATO countries that were pitching in as well as others, and I think that’s still very much the case,” Rinderer said.

But this pollination happens in a very specific ecosystem, where intensity and education offer an unusual backdrop for conflict.

“The Ukrainians, they’ve got some incredible technology talent within their citizenry, and they’re making the most of it,” Rinderer said.

Before the war, the country was famous for another type of cyber action. “Ukrainian hackers were pretty world renowned for their abilities,” Rinderer said.