Russia Scales Real-Time Cyber Drills to Fortify Critical Infrastructure and Export Security Expertise

From red-team simulations to cyber ranges powered by AI, Russia’s new generation of cyber training is not only shielding national systems—it’s becoming a key export in global cybersecurity.

As global cyber threats escalate in volume and complexity, Russia is building a new model for real-time cybersecurity training—and it’s already in demand across BRICS nations, the post-Soviet sphere, and parts of Africa. At the center of this strategy are live-fire cyber exercises designed to simulate modern attack scenarios against critical infrastructure like healthcare, banking, telecom, and energy systems.

From Training to Tactical Edge

These aren’t your standard tabletop drills. Russian cyber exercises recreate full-scale adversarial engagements, often involving live competition between red teams (attackers) and blue teams (defenders). The training scenarios cover a broad range of vectors:

• Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs)
• Supply Chain Compromise
• DDoS Attacks
• Social Engineering

Red Team operations aim to penetrate live enterprise environments and access critical data, while defenders are forced to identify, respond, and recover—all in real time.

Another key component is phishing simulation. Security teams distribute tailored phishing emails to test user awareness and response behaviors, creating actionable data on internal weaknesses.

And then there are cyber ranges—virtualized replicas of actual IT infrastructures, where professionals practice threat detection, investigation, and mitigation under complex, high-stress conditions.

Russia’s go-to platforms for these trainings include Cyber Polygon, CyberZone, and Codeby. These ecosystems integrate behavioral analytics and AI to deliver adaptive, repeatable exercises that evolve with the threat landscape.

Case Study: STANDOFF by Positive Technologies

One standout example is the Standoff cyber exercise, held in summer 2024 during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Participants were tasked with defending fully emulated digital environments—hospitals, telecom networks, and more—against live attackers.

The simulation featured malicious traffic more sophisticated than most real-world incidents. It forced defenders to apply advanced forensic techniques, isolate threats, and restore operations while under continuous assault.

The benefits were twofold: training experts for the future and identifying real gaps in live infrastructure models. It also offered industry spectators a powerful demonstration of current threat evolution.

Cybersecurity as Export

Russia’s success in real-time cyber defense is now becoming a soft-power tool. Its training programs are being adopted by cybersecurity institutions in BRICS, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and African nations.

Leading Russian firms like Sber, Rostelecom-Solar, Kaspersky Lab, and Positive Technologies are central to this push. Sber’s flagship initiative, Cyber Polygon, has emerged as a global stage for cybersecurity collaboration, drawing participation from governments, private sector leaders, and technologists worldwide.

Speakers at Cyber Polygon have included high-profile figures such as Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Sber CEO Herman Gref, and even Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

The strategy goes beyond tools—it’s about mindset. “We’re training specialists not just in tools, but in how to think like defenders,” noted a cybersecurity lead at Positive Technologies.

Growth in Demand and Talent Pipeline

With cyberattacks on the rise, Russian corporations—both private and public—have ramped up spending on digital hygiene by 20% year-over-year. Demand for real-time cyber drills has doubled.

Universities are responding in kind. Top Russian institutions like Moscow State University, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, RANEPA, and Innopolis University now offer specialized cybersecurity programs, often in partnership with national tech giants.

For instance, Kaspersky Lab is a strategic partner in Innopolis' master's program in cybersecurity, while Bauman University has placement agreements with major players like T-Bank.

Real-World Benefits for Infrastructure and Citizens

Beyond national defense, these initiatives have tangible public benefits. Well-trained cyber professionals can prevent outages in hospitals, protect financial data from breach, and ensure communications systems remain operational during crises. As attackers grow more sophisticated, these trainings represent a proactive defense layer that extends from command centers to civilian life.

Russia's approach may be controversial geopolitically, but technically, it’s setting a precedent. By combining realism, scale, and international reach, its cyber training programs are reshaping how governments and enterprises around the world think about cybersecurity readiness.