Russia’s Food Logistics Paralyzed by Cyberattack

A cyberattack disrupted Russia’s dairy supply by taking offline the Mercury veterinary certification system, a government platform required to authorize the movement of animal-based products. The outage prevented producers from issuing mandatory electronic certificates, forcing a temporary switch to paper documentation. The workaround led to delays as many warehouses and retailers refused shipments without digital verification, causing logistical bottlenecks and supply interruptions.

The broader food supply chain was affected by the attack: dairy producers, livestock product suppliers, logistics operators and major retailers such as Lenta, Miratorg and Yandex Lavka, which were unable to issue mandatory electronic veterinary certificates and thus saw deliveries delayed or halted.

Estimated Cost

halted the legally required certification preventing deliveries to processors and retailers for several hours, causing supply-chain bottlenecks, retail shortages and the spoilage and disposal of some perishable goods.

Threat Source

Impacts

OT IT