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Russian Payment Systems Glitch Sparks Chaos
3 Apr
Summary
- Payment system issues disrupted shoppers on Friday.
- Sberbank and QR code payments experienced problems.
- The Moscow metro and a regional zoo were affected.
On Friday, a significant disruption to payment systems caused widespread chaos for shoppers across Russia. The issues primarily affected transactions involving Sberbank, the country's largest bank, and QR code payment methods, according to reports from shoppers and retailers.
The problems led to several unusual circumstances. For approximately one hour, shops and petrol stations requested cash payments from customers. In a striking incident, Moscow's metro turnstiles were temporarily deactivated, allowing passengers to enter without paying. Additionally, a zoo in Belgorod experienced a complete outage of its card payment systems, forcing it to request cash from visitors.
The central bank has not yet commented on the cause of the widespread technical difficulties. Sberbank confirmed that the issues have since been resolved but provided no further details regarding the incident's origin or extent. The affected Moscow region alone has a population of 22 million people.
