The cyberattack targeting several Azerbaijani media outlets on February 20, 2025, was organized from Russia. This was announced by Ramid Namazov, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliamentary Commission on Countering External Interference.
Namazov stated that the hacker group APT29 (Cozy Bear) was behind the attack. This group is known to be linked to Russian state structures and specializes in operations against government institutions, diplomacy, defense, and the media. The attack was carried out with a high level of technical sophistication.
He emphasized that such actions contradict the spirit of the allied declaration between Baku and Moscow. A possible reason for the attack, he noted, was the closure of the unregistered “Russian House” in Azerbaijan and ongoing discussions about shutting down the local office of Sputnik.
At a session of the temporary parliamentary commission, MP Rasim Musabekov added that cyberattacks are equivalent to acts of war and therefore must be addressed through diplomatic channels. He called on the relevant Azerbaijani authorities to discuss the incident with their Russian counterparts, warning that the recurrence of such attacks could take on a political dimension.
Namazov supported Musabekov’s stance, confirming that negotiations with Moscow are already underway: “Such actions are incompatible with the nature of our relationship.”
