A special debate was held during the 25th Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna on attacks against state sovereignty and interference in internal affairs through hybrid means.

Reports were delivered by Michael McGrath, European Commissioner; Carina Ödebrink, Rapporteur of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions; Maria Telalian, Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR); and Ambassador Jan Braathu, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.

Speakers noted that hybrid attacks based on cyber tools have become widespread. Commissioner McGrath highlighted cases of attempts to influence politicians and their family members through coordinated hybrid operations conducted from abroad, stressing the need for effective countermeasures.

Members of the Assembly also exchanged views on foreign interference in elections and domestic political processes, as well as on the dissemination of disinformation and AI-generated “deepfake” content.

During the discussions, Gaya Mammadov, head of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, briefed participants on hybrid attacks targeting Azerbaijan.