Pro-Ukraine hackers cripple Russia’s flagship airline Aeroflot, exposing critical weaknesses in Moscow’s cyber defenses amid intensifying hybrid warfare.
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| As pro-Ukraine hackers take down Aeroflot systems, Russia faces growing cyber threats that strike deep into national infrastructure and public trust. Image: CH |
MOSCOW, Russia — July 30, 2025:
Russia's flagship airline, Aeroflot, suffered one of the most severe cyberattacks in its history on Monday, forcing the cancellation of over 50 round-trip flights and delaying dozens more. The disruption, claimed by two pro-Ukraine hacking groups, Silent Crow and Belarusian Cyberpartisans, represents a bold escalation in the cyber front of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The attack overwhelmed Aeroflot’s systems during peak summer travel season, crashing servers, disabling operations, and compromising sensitive internal networks. Departure boards at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport turned red as travel plans for thousands of passengers were thrown into chaos. Aeroflot later confirmed that 54 of 260 scheduled flights were cancelled, while others were severely delayed.
Russian prosecutors swiftly opened a criminal investigation and confirmed the incident as a hack. Lawmakers expressed alarm over the breach, calling it a digital wake-up call. “The war against our country is being waged on all fronts, including the digital one,” said Anton Gorelkin, a senior member of Russia’s parliament. He warned that the hacktivist groups behind the attack may be working with foreign governments. Another MP, Anton Nemkin, demanded accountability from those responsible for the country's “systemic failures” in cybersecurity.
The hackers claimed to have destroyed over 7,000 Aeroflot servers, taken control of employee devices—including those of top managers—and gained access to a trove of sensitive data. They threatened to release the personal information of all Aeroflot passengers, along with intercepted emails and internal communications. While these claims remain unverified, screenshots of internal file directories posted online added weight to their assertions.
Statements from Silent Crow and Belarusian Cyberpartisans framed the operation as a coordinated act of digital resistance. “We are helping Ukrainians in their fight with the occupier,” declared the Belarusian group, while Silent Crow’s message ended with “Glory to Ukraine! Long live Belarus!” The hack, they said, was designed to paralyze Aeroflot and deal a symbolic blow to a core institution of the Russian state.
The Ukrainian government has not officially commented on the incident, consistent with its usual posture of strategic ambiguity around non-state cyber actors. However, the alignment of goals is clear: to destabilize Russian infrastructure and erode domestic confidence through asymmetric means.
For Russia, the hack is a stark reminder that its critical infrastructure remains exposed to digital warfare. While cyberattacks have periodically hit government sites and businesses since the war began in 2022, Monday’s strike on Aeroflot appears to be the most disruptive to date, targeting not just military or political assets, but civilian life at scale.
Financial markets reacted swiftly. Aeroflot’s shares dropped nearly 4% by mid-afternoon, significantly underperforming the broader index. The long-term damage to its public image and data security could prove far more costly.
More broadly, the Aeroflot cyberattack underscores a critical dimension of modern conflict: the battlefield is no longer limited to trenches and drones, but includes servers, systems, and public perception. Russia, long known for its offensive cyber capabilities, now finds itself increasingly on the defensive in a war that has expanded to its digital and civilian infrastructure.
The hybrid nature of the Ukraine conflict is evolving rapidly. If Russia cannot adequately defend its most vital civilian services, it may face more than just military pressure. It may face a crisis of internal trust and a growing sense of vulnerability—one that even tanks and missiles cannot fix.