Cyber Attack Cripples Ukrainian Railways' IT Systems Amid Ongoing Conflict

Ukraine's largest cargo carrier, Ukrzaliznytsia, has only restored half of its IT services following a major cyber attack in late March. Officials suspect Russia, currently occupying 20% of Ukrainian territory, is behind the attack. Complete restoration of services is expected in one or two weeks.

The Ukrainian state railways, known as Ukrzaliznytsia, announced that they have been able to restore approximately 50% of their IT systems following a significant cyber attack in late March. The incident initially came to light on March 23, when the rail company alerted passengers to an IT system failure, advising them to purchase tickets on-site or directly on trains.

Following the announcement, Ukrzaliznytsia confirmed that its online systems were the target of a large-scale cyber attack. Both a Ukrainian security official and a senior government source speculated, under anonymity, that the attack was likely orchestrated by Russia. The suspicion comes in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, leading to its current occupation of about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

Valeriy Tkachev, deputy head of the commercial department at Ukrzaliznytsia, stated that the company needs "one or two weeks" to fully restore all services. The railway company reported that online ticket sales systems were operational again by the end of March.

(With inputs from agencies.)