Beluga vodka maker hit by hackers
Russian spirits firm Novabev Group was the target of a cyber attack last week, causing major disruption to its WineLab retail business.
The Russian spirits producer and distributor confirmed it was exposed to an “unprecedented” ransomware hack on 14 July.
The “large-scale” incident led to the temporary disruption of the group’s IT infrastructure, affecting the availability of some of Novabev and WineLab’s services and tools.
The Moscow-based firm revealed the hackers had ordered a payment, but Novabev did not give in to their demands.
“The company maintains a principled position of rejecting any interaction with cybercriminals and refuses to fulfil their demands,” Novabev said in a statement on 16 July.
“The IT team is working around the clock to resolve the situation. To speed up the process, external experts have been involved in the investigation. Every effort is being made to resume operations as soon as possible.”
Novabev operates more than 2,000 WineLab retail outlets across Moscow, St Petersburg and the Far East. The company sells its own products and imported brands through the stores.
WineLab is described as one of the top three players in the Russian alcohol retail market.
A notice on WineLab’s social media pages on 14 July noted that online and in-store shopping operations were limited due to technical reasons.
Novabev Group also noted that while it believed personal customer data had not been compromised, its investigation was ongoing.
The statement continued: “Cybercrime is becoming more aggressive. We will learn from these attacks and strengthen our defences to minimise the risk of future ones.
“We apologise to our customers and partners for any inconvenience and thank them for their support and understanding.”
The company stated it had previously deterred attacks by “regularly improving infrastructure defences through daily monitoring, vulnerability remediation, and employee training”.
Novabev owns Arkhangelskaya, the ninth biggest-selling vodka brand in the world, according to The Brand Champions 2025 report.
It also produces vodka brands Beluga and Belenkaya, alongside brandy, gin and wine. It operates five distilleries, one winery and one ethanol plant.
The company is also behind one of the largest distribution chains in Russia, looking after brands such as Barceló rum, Torres brandy, Planteray rum and Disaronno liqueur.
Novabev is not the only vodka producer to suffer a cyber attack in the past 12 months. In December, a two-month-long cyber attack on its US operations contributed to Stoli Group’s decision to voluntarily file for bankruptcy.
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