Ukraine’s national railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, faced a major cyberattack on Monday, disrupting ticket sales both online and through its mobile app. Trains, however, remain on schedule, the company assured passengers.
Chaos at Kyiv’s Central Station
Kyiv’s main railway station was packed. Long lines stretched through the halls, filled with frustrated travelers trying to buy tickets the old-fashioned way — at the counter.
Daryna Antoniuk, a journalist reporting from the scene, described the station as “unusually crowded,” with dozens of people waiting to purchase tickets for domestic and international routes. The lines moved slowly, but the trains themselves weren’t delayed.
For many, it was a throwback to pre-digital times. Paper tickets, cash transactions, and handwritten schedules replaced the usual quick taps on smartphones.
Ukrzaliznytsia Responds with Backup Systems
Despite the attack, Ukrzaliznytsia insisted that the core rail operations were unaffected. In a statement on its official Telegram channel, the company said, “The enemy failed to do the key thing: train traffic is stable, they run clearly, without delays, and all operational processes of traffic are set up in a backup format.”
That reassurance didn’t do much for stranded passengers stuck in endless queues. For those who couldn’t get a ticket, the company advised an unusual solution: “If you do not have time to purchase a ticket through the ticket office, go directly to the train.”
It wasn’t clear how conductors were handling passengers boarding without tickets. Still, the company seemed more focused on keeping trains moving than enforcing fare collection.
Cyberattacks on Infrastructure Are Escalating
This isn’t the first time Ukraine’s infrastructure has been hit by cyberattacks. Over the past decade, hackers have targeted everything from power grids to government websites — often timed alongside military escalations.
Cybersecurity experts suggest the latest attack might be part of a broader strategy to disrupt essential services. While no group immediately claimed responsibility, Ukraine has previously blamed Russian-affiliated hackers for similar breaches.
In 2015 and 2016, hackers knocked out power across parts of Ukraine during bitter winters, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity. More recently, a wave of attacks disabled banking systems and government sites in the lead-up to Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Passengers Adapt, But Frustration Grows
For many Ukrainians, resilience has become a daily routine. But patience is wearing thin.
- Long lines for tickets pushed some passengers to delay travel plans altogether.
- Others followed the railway’s advice and boarded trains without tickets, unsure if they’d face fines.
- The mobile app outage also made it harder for people to check schedules, adding to the confusion.
Still, for some, the trains running on time brought a sense of defiance. “They can mess with the tickets, but they can’t stop the trains,” one commuter said.
Ticket Sales Still Offline
As of Monday evening, online ticket sales were still down. Ukrzaliznytsia said technicians were working to restore the system but gave no clear timeline for when it would be back.
For now, station staff are processing sales manually, doing their best to move the lines along. Extra clerks were brought in to speed things up, but the backlog remains.
Passengers planning to travel in the next few days may need to arrive early — and bring cash.
