KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian state-owned railway company Ukrzaliznytsia reported on Tuesday that its online freight services had been disrupted by a cyberattack. The attack, which occurred on Sunday, also affected passenger services, leading to temporary shifts to manual operations.
Ukrzaliznytsia, the nation’s largest cargo carrier, first alerted the public to an IT system failure on Sunday, advising passengers to purchase tickets directly at stations or aboard trains. The company later revealed that its online systems had been subjected to a large-scale, targeted cyberattack.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the country’s railway network has become a vital lifeline, facilitating the movement of civilians and serving as a primary conduit for transporting weapons, fuel, and equipment. The recent cyberattack has raised concerns about the security of such essential services.
“In addition to passenger services, our IT specialists and partners are working to restore freight services,” Ukrzaliznytsia announced on Facebook. “Immediately after the cyberattack, we temporarily switched to paper-based document management, which we notified our customers about. All railway employees have been instructed.”
To mitigate the impact on freight operations, the company provided detailed instructions for commercial clients on ordering and dispatching wagons under the adjusted conditions, particularly focusing on routes toward export ports and the western border. While Ukrzaliznytsia has not officially attributed the cyberattack to any party, a Ukrainian security official and a senior government source, both insisting on anonimity, indicated that the attack appeared to have been carried out by Russia. This incident is part of a broader pattern of cyberattacks targeting Ukrainian infrastructure amid the ongoing conflict. The disruption of Ukrzaliznytsia’s services highlights the persistent challenges Ukraine faces in safeguarding its critical systems against cyber threats. As of Tuesday, efforts to fully restore both passenger and freight services were ongoing, with Ukrzaliznytsia collaborating with IT specialists and partners to address the aftermath of the cyberattack.
Image Credit: Two trains stand at the platform of the railway station in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. shutterstock.com/ZagAlex
