Aeroflot confirms major cyberattack as pro-Ukraine hackers claim responsibility

Russia’s flagship airline, Aeroflot, suffered a major cyberattack Monday, disrupting its information systems and forcing the cancellation or delay of multiple flights across the country.

The airline initially reported "technical issues" with its IT systems at 09:00 local time but did not specify the cause. By early afternoon, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office confirmed that Aeroflot had been the target of a hacker attack and announced that a criminal investigation had been launched.

Responsibility for the breach was later claimed by two pro-Ukrainian hacker groups, Silent Crow and Cyberpartisans BY, who issued statements via social media declaring that they had successfully conducted a “large-scale and prolonged operation” against Aeroflot’s internal digital infrastructure.

The groups said they had gained access to Aeroflot’s internal corporate network for over a year, during which time they allegedly destroyed or rendered inoperable nearly 7,000 physical and virtual servers. They also claimed to have compromised employee workstations, tapped into internal phone conversations, and obtained sensitive data including flight records and operational history.

As of 13:00 Moscow time, Aeroflot had not publicly commented on the cyberattack itself, despite growing disruption to its services.

The attack represents one of the most serious breaches of a Russian critical infrastructure entity since the start of the war in Ukraine.