Moscow shoppers and travellers hit by payment system problem

RiddleMaster · 2026-04-03T16:39:05+00:00

A payment system failure in Russia on April 3 caused significant disruptions for shoppers, allowing free access to the Moscow metro and prompting a zoo to request cash payments. Sberbank reported resolved issues but did not provide details on the cause.

RiddleMaster

2026-04-03 16:39:05

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MOSCOW, April 3 (Reuters) - A problem with payment systems sowed chaos on Friday for some Russian shoppers, forcing the turnstiles on ‌the Moscow metro to allow people to enter without payment and even forcing a regional zoo to ask visitors to use cash.

The cause of the payment system ⁠problem was not immediately clear but shoppers and retailers said that they experienced problems with Sberbank, the country’s biggest bank, and with payments with QR codes.

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The central bank did not reply to a request for comment. Sberbank said problems had been resolved but ‌gave ⁠no details on what caused the problems.

Shops and petrol stations asked customers for cash for about an hour on Friday, citing a problem with ⁠payment systems, Reuters reporters said.

The Moscow metro turnstiles let people enter for free at one point, ⁠TASS reported. A zoo in Belgorod said card payment systems were down, and asked ⁠visitors to pay cash.

Moscow and the surrounding region has a population of 22 million people.

Reporting Elena Fabrichnaya; editing by Guy Faulconbridge

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