Russia-Ukraine War

Pro-Ukrainian hackers target Russian airline Aeroflot, dozens of flights cancelled

Kremlin spokesman Peskov alarmed: 'The threat from hackers threatens to affect all large companies that provide services to the population'

28 July 2025

2' min read

The Russian airline Aeroflot was forced to cancel dozens of flights on Monday after a mysterious pro-Ukrainian hacker group claimed responsibility for what it called a heavy computer attack.

Russia's national airline did not provide further details on the cause of the problem or the time needed to solve it, but the departure boards at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport turned red due to the cancellation of flights at a time when many Russians go on holiday.

The Kremlin stated that the situation was worrying and the prosecutor's office confirmed that the airline's problems were caused by a hacker attack and opened a criminal investigation.

Silent Crow hacker group claims attack

A statement, apparently from a hacker group called Silent Crow, claimed to have conducted the operation together with a Belarusian group called Cyberpartisans BY, linking it to the war in Ukraine.

"Glory to Ukraine! Long live Belarus!" read the statement, whose authenticity could not be identified.

Silent Crow previously claimed responsibility for this year's attacks on a Russian real estate database, a state-owned telecommunications company, a large insurance company, the Moscow government's IT department, and the Russian subsidiary of the South Korean car brand Kia. Some of these attacks resulted in huge data losses.

"The information we are reading is quite alarming. The threat from hackers threatens to affect all large companies providing services to the population," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "Of course, we will verify the information and await the appropriate clarifications."

More than 50 flights cancelled

Aeroflot said it had cancelled more than 50 flights, mainly within Russia, but also routes to the Belarusian capital Minsk and the Armenian capital Yerevan, after reporting a fault in its computer systems. At least 10 other flights were delayed. "Specialists are currently working to minimise the impact on the flight schedule and restore normal service operations," said one of their spokesmen.

Angry Passengers

Since Russia declared war on Ukraine in February 2022, travellers in Russia have become accustomed to flight interruptions. However, these delays were usually caused by temporary airport closures during drone attacks.

What happened today was different. Enraged passengers vented their anger on the social network VK, complaining about the lack of clear information from the airline. Malena Ashi wrote: "I have been sitting at Volgograd airport since 3:30 a.m.!!!!! The flight was rescheduled for the third time!!!!!! This time it was rescheduled for about 14:50, and the departure was scheduled for 5:00!!!". Another woman, Yulia Pakhota, wrote: "The call centre is not available, the website is not available, the app is not available. How can I return a ticket or exchange it for the next flight, as Aeroflot suggests?".

Aeroflot said that affected passengers can obtain a refund or rebooking within 10 days.

Despite Western sanctions against Russia that have drastically restricted travel and routes, Aeroflot remains among the world's top 20 airlines in terms of passenger numbers, which reached 55.3 million last year, according to its website.

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