VTB Bank, Russia’s second-largest financial institution by assets, experienced a significant digital services outage on December 29, 2025, disrupting access to its website, mobile app, and card payments. The failure occurred during peak hours of pre-New Year activity, leaving thousands of customers unable to complete transactions or access their accounts.
According to customer reports, the outage began around 12:30 PM Moscow time, with complaints peaking during lunchtime. Downdetector data indicated over 8,000 complaints within a short span, primarily involving login issues, failed transfers, and declined card payments in stores and public eateries.
The most affected regions included Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and the Samara region. While VTB acknowledged the issue via social media, calling it a temporary inconvenience, it did not publicly disclose the exact cause. Customers who experienced duplicate charges were promised refunds within four working days.
Other banks, including Sberbank and T-Bank, also saw a spike in user complaints during the same period. However, both institutions denied experiencing internal technical failures, stating their systems were functioning normally.
By late afternoon, VTB had reportedly restored most of its digital services. Customers were advised to use alternative methods like the Fast Payment System (SBP) during ongoing troubleshooting. The National Payment Card System confirmed that the issue was isolated and did not impact the security of user funds.
