Scientists from Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute have been awarded the highest state award in the field of science—the Boris Paton National Prize of Ukraine—for their research in the field of critical infrastructure security.
Today, Ukraine faces massive challenges in the field of critical infrastructure protection, arising from the threats of cyber, terrorist, and air attacks by an aggressor country. These circumstances require the mobilization of all state and societal resources, and above all—the scientific community, capable of developing effective models, methods, and solutions to enhance the resilience of key facilities.
One of the priority areas is the creation of mathematical models to support management decisions in the field of security. Classical models of operations research have taken on new meaning and relevance—in particular, models of layered air defense, optimal allocation of weapons to targets, and resource planning for the protection of critical infrastructure. Current conditions require further generalization, refinement, and adaptation of these approaches.
The growing number of cyber threats makes it critically necessary to develop methods of cryptographic data protection, analyze the resilience of national cryptographic algorithms, and protect critical information flows, databases, and data storage centers. In this context, the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence methods plays a significant role. In particular, the tasks of identifying and classifying potentially dangerous objects, improving algorithms for verifying entities based on behavioral characteristics, and assessing the resilience of technical systems to emergency situations are of particular relevance.
At Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, special attention is paid to this area. At the Faculty of Software Systems and Applied Mathematics, under the academic guidance of Dr. Vladimir Norkin, modern courses in systems analysis, control theory, reliability and risk theory, and optimization theory are taught, in which students master methods for modeling threats and making optimal decisions to protect critical infrastructure. At the Department of Artificial Intelligence of the Institute of Applied Systems Analysis, students study machine learning methods for solving practical security problems, including the identification of hostile dynamic objects, verification of business entities, and analysis of the technical condition of objects. Research is conducted under the supervision of Professor Valery Danilov, Ph.D. in Technical Sciences.
The scientific results of Ukrainian researchers from Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, the V.M. Glushkov Institute of Cybernetics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and other leading institutions have been highly praised by critical infrastructure security experts. This is reflected in the awarding of the 2025 Boris Paton National Prize of Ukraine for the work “Assessment and Optimization of Security Risks for Critical Infrastructure.”
On November 27, 2025, this prestigious award was granted by Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 861/2025 to a group of scientists, including: Konstantin Leonovich Atoev, Vasyl Mykhailovych Gorbachuk, Valery Yakovych Danilov, Volodymyr Semenovych Kyryliuk, Dmytro Anatoliyovych Klyushin, Lyudmyla Vasylivna Kovalchuk, Volodymyr Ivanovych Norkin, and Volodymyr Viktorovych Semenov.
This recognition is a testament to the significant contribution of Ukrainian scientists to strengthening the country’s security and its future resilience. We sincerely congratulate the award recipients.