In a chilling display of cyberwarfare, Aeroflot, Russia’s largest airline, was thrown into chaos this week after a major cyberattack brought its IT systems to a grinding halt that grounded dozens of flights and disrupted operations across the country.
Two pro-Ukraine hacking groups — Silent Crow and the Belarusian Cyber Partisans — have claimed responsibility, describing the breach as part of a long-planned operation to infiltrate and cripple the heart of Russia’s infrastructure in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
On Monday, Aeroflot cancelled 59 round-trip flights from Moscow out of a planned 260, with dozens more delayed. The disruption that carried into Tuesday saw another 22 departures and 31 arrivals to the capital being scrapped.
At Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, passengers were left confused and frustrated, as dozens of cancelled flights were listed on departure boards. However, by Tuesday afternoon, the airline claimed it had taken back control over its operations.
“As of today, 93 per cent of flights from Moscow and back are planned to be operated according to the original schedule (216 return flights out of 233),” the company said in a statement, though the damage had already affected travellers across Russia and beyond.
Who’s Behind The Attack?
Silent Crow, a Ukrainian-affiliated group, announced the attack on Telegram, stating that the cyber-attack was the result of a year-long operation that crippled 7,000 servers. They also claimed to have gained access to terabytes of internal data, including personally identifiable information (PII) of passengers and staff, and took control of employee computers — including those belonging to top executives.
“Glory to Ukraine! Long live Belarus!” the post concluded.
Screenshots posted on social media appeared to show Aeroflot’s internal directories and server access, though these claims have yet to be independently verified. The hackers have threatened to leak the personal data of all Russian citizens who have flown with the airline.
Cyber Partisans, a well-known Belarusian hacktivist group that opposes President Alexander Lukashenko, echoed the message on social media. The group said it carried out the cyber strike to assist Ukraine and paralyze Russia’s largest airline.
“We are helping Ukrainians in their fight with the occupier, carrying out a cyber strike on Aeroflot and paralysing the largest airline in Russia,” the Belarusian group Cyberpartisans wrote on its X account.
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Russia Responds With Alarm
The Russian prosecutor’s office has launched a criminal investigation into the attack. The Kremlin called the incident “worrying.” Several lawmakers have described the attack as a “digital wake-up call”, urging a broader inquiry not just into the hackers themselves, but also into the security lapses that allowed the breach to happen.
“We must not forget that the war against our country is being waged on all fronts, including the digital one,” said Anton Gorelkin, a Russian MP, in a statement.
Adding to the pressure, a separate cyberattack reportedly hit Russia’s Stolichki pharmacy chain just one day later, forcing the closure of nearly 900 pharmacies in Moscow by disabling accounting and operational systems. Although it’s unclear if the two incidents are directly linked, these back-to-back attacks suggest a coordinated digital campaign targeting critical infrastructure in Russia.
Digital Warfare Escalates
This incident marks one of the most visible cyberattacks on a major Russian institution since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. Hacktivist groups, state-sponsored attackers, and criminal gangs have increasingly blurred the lines between political activism and nation-state attacks.
While Aeroflot works to restore full service and rebuild its IT systems, the breach sends a clear signal: conflicts aren’t just being fought on battlefields — they are being fought in cyberspace too, disrupting lives in real time.
