Russia's Supreme Court designates hacker groups Silent Crow and Cyber Partisans as 'extremist'

Russia's Supreme Court, in a closed hearing, granted a request from the Prosecutor General's Office and designated the hacker groups Silent Crow and Cyber Partisans BY as 'extremist organizations,' banning their activities in the country.

The court stated that the groups work closely together and carry out joint cyberattacks on information infrastructure in Russia and Belarus, with the aim of 'destabilizing the social and political situation' and 'changing the current state power through unconstitutional means.'

Both groups are known for targeting defense and government institutions. Last summer, Silent Crow and Cyber Partisans BY jointly claimed responsibility for hacking and damaging the internal infrastructure of Aeroflot, Russia's flagship airline. On that day, the company canceled 108 of 260 scheduled flights. The hackers said they had gained control over management computers, flight history, and critical corporate systems.

Cyber Partisans BY has also hacked the Main Radio Frequency Center (a Roskomnadzor body that censors media and collects user data), a St. Petersburg manufacturer of special equipment for security forces and Orlan drones, and investigated supplies to Russia that bypass sanctions. The group also published a database of informants for Belarus's KGB. Silent Crow, which opposes Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has claimed hacks of Rosreestr (the state real estate registry), the telecom operator Rostelecom, and the Moscow government's IT department.

In its ruling, the court linked Cyber Partisans BY to 'a unit of information and psychological operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine' and the Belarusian group 'Supraciv' (Resistance), which it said aims to 'forcibly change the constitutional order.' The court described Silent Crow as a 'pro-Ukrainian' group.

With the participation of Cyber Partisans BY, The Insider published an investigation into the case of Anzhelika Melnikova, a spokesperson for the Coordination Council of the Belarusian opposition, who disappeared in spring 2025 with a large sum of money.