Azerbaijan Accuses Russia of Cyberattack on National Media

A cyberattack that targeted several Azerbaijani media outlets on February 20, 2025, was organized from Russian territory, a senior Azerbaijani official has confirmed, The Gaze reports, citing 1news.

Ramid Namazov, Chairman of the Milli Majlis Commission on Countering External Interference and Hybrid Threats stated that the attack was carried out with a high level of technical sophistication by APT29, also known as “Cozy Bear,” “Midnight Blizzard,” or “The Dukes”—a cyber-espionage group with ties to Russian state structures. 

The group is known for targeting government institutions, diplomatic missions, the energy sector, defense, and mediain its operations.

“This is regrettable,” said Namazov, adding that the attack “contradicts the provisions of the Declaration on Allied Interaction between Azerbaijan and Russia, as well as the spirit of bilateral relations.”

He noted that a cyber-psychological analysis of the incident helped identify a possible motive. Namazov linked the attack to Azerbaijan’s recent moves to shut down the Russian House—a cultural and informational center that had been operating without legal registration—and the ongoing discussions about liquidating the local office of Russia Today, which operates Sputnik in Azerbaijan.

“It was precisely because of these developments, which have indirect political motivations, that this cyber interference took place,” Namazov said.

Experts have called this attack one of the most serious instances of cyber interference ever identified in Azerbaijan.

As The Gaze previously reported, France has officially accused Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, of orchestrating a sustained series of cyberattacks targeting French institutions, including government ministries, defense contractors, and think tanks.