Aeroflot hit by cyberattack linked to pro-Ukrainian groups causing widespread flight disruptions

The group further claimed to have stolen over 12 terabytes of surveillance recordings and wiretapped data from internal communications. They threatened to release personal data belonging to Aeroflot passengers. In their statement published on Telegram, Silent Crow said:

“All these resources are now inaccessible or destroyed; restoration will require, possibly, tens of millions of dollars. The damage is strategic...Recovery will take a lot of time. Most of the data for Aeroflot is lost forever.”

Aeroflot has not officially confirmed being targeted by a cyberattack but acknowledged in its Telegram post: “There was a failure in the operation of the airline’s information systems. There may be interruptions in the work of services.” The airline reported that approximately 52 flights had been canceled.

Canceled flights included major domestic routes between Moscow and cities such as Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Sochi, and St. Petersburg, as well as international services to Minsk and Yerevan. Passengers were advised to monitor airport departure boards for updates.

“Currently, the team of specialists is working to minimize the risks of the implementation of the flight plan and restore the regular operation of the services as soon as possible,” Aeroflot stated. Affected travelers were offered refunds or rebooking within ten days; however, ticket counters at airports were temporarily unable to process changes.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the incident “quite alarming.” The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed that Aeroflot’s system failure was due to a cyberattack and announced that an investigation was underway.

Russia’s aviation sector has faced repeated disruptions in recent years due mainly to Ukrainian drone activity. Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport—Aeroflot’s main hub—has often suspended runway operations because of potential drone threats. Earlier this month coordinated drone strikes caused mass cancellations across Moscow’s major airports affecting both domestic and international flights.

Despite ongoing challenges from these disruptions affecting airspace around Moscow and broader Russian carriers including Aeroflot itself, Aeroflot remains one of Russia's largest airlines by passenger numbers—ranking among the top 20 global airlines last year with about 55.3 million passengers carried worldwide.

According to ch-aviation data (https://www.ch-aviation.com/), Aeroflot operates more than 200 aircraft comprising various models such as Airbus A319s (some wet leased), A320-200s (including those operated by Rossiya), A320neos, A321s/A321neos, A330-300s, A350-900s as well as Boeing 737-800s and Boeing 777-300ERs.