Cyber Battle at CIPR: Belarus wins the IV International Cyber Championship on Information Security

The final of the international cybersecurity tournament in the Defense Challenge format took place at the CIPR-2025 conference in Nizhny Novgorod. The competition brought together teams from Russia, CIS countries, Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. The absolute leader of the championship was the team from Belarus, which scored a record 6,149 points for the effective protection of its infrastructure. The second place was taken by the participants from Russia (5,588 points), and the third place was taken by the team from Vietnam (5,280 points).

Alexander Shoitov, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of Russia, noted that in 2025 the cyber championship has reached a new level. He stressed that after the tournament, cybersecurity experts from different countries will be able to put into practice new experiences and new techniques of confrontation. “The exercises have made a significant practical contribution to Russia’s efforts to build the capacity of developing countries to fend off computer threats,” added Artur Lyukmanov, Director of the Department of International Information Security of the Russian MFA.

Igor Lyapunov, CEO of Solar Group, said that in just a year the number of teams had almost tripled, from 40 to 117. “Some teams have become the discovery of the cyber championship. For example, the participants from the UAE, Tanzania and Vietnam were head and shoulders above their rivals. The results of the cyber championship demonstrate the international recognition of Russian expertise in cybersecurity,” said Igor Lyapunov.

The winners of the first-place cup received a 25% discount on one-day cyber training and three Solar Method educational programs, as well as two months of free access to the Solar appScreener code-level application security analysis platform and 50 cloud licenses for testing cyber literacy skills. The second and third place teams received a 25% discount on three Solar Method educational programs recommended for the weaknesses identified at the championship.

For the cyber tournament, the organizers provided the latest version of the Solar CyberMir platform, which was tested by 500 cyber defenders during the tournament. The logic included scenarios of the most common and dangerous types of cyber threats, recorded by experts from the Solar JSOC Cyberattack Counteraction Center from December 2024 to May 2025.

Another technology partner, Kaspersky Lab, provided the participants with the KUMA SIEM system and the Kaspersky Unified Monitoring and Analysis Platform. Anna Kulashova, Kaspersky Lab’s Vice President for Business Development in Russia and the CIS, summarized that the opportunity to practice cyberattack response skills using knowledge and technological defenses helps teams identify their strengths and areas for further professional development.

The cyber championship was organized by Solar Group of Companies with the support from the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of Russia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the National Coordination Center for Computer Incidents. Kaspersky Lab acted as the technological partner of the cybersecurity tournament.