Yandex Services Disrupted by Ukrainian Drone Strikes on Data Centers

Russian technology firm Yandex is experiencing significant disruptions to its digital services following Ukrainian drone attacks on two of its five data centers.

Often referred to as "Russia's Google," Yandex operates the country's most popular search engine, alongside widely used food ordering and taxi applications. The company stated that its data center in Sasovo, Ryazan region, sustained severe damage from a drone strike, leading to a complete suspension of operations. Additionally, a data center in Kaluga, southwest of Moscow, was attacked, with a portion of its infrastructure rendered inoperable.

In response to the attacks, Yandex acknowledged the difficulty in predicting when services would be fully restored, emphasizing that its data centers are critical infrastructure. Teams are working around the clock to maintain operations, but the company noted the complexity of the task. No Yandex employees were reported injured in the strikes, though regional authorities in Kaluga confirmed nine people were injured in a drone attack on infrastructure in the city.

The extent of the service disruptions is still being assessed, with Yandex reporting temporary unavailability of some AI chatbot functions and potential issues with smart home devices. The Sasovo data center housed two of the three supercomputers used for the company's AI model development, though their condition remains uncertain. The Kaluga facility was previously described as one of Russia's largest data centers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that these strikes are a response to weeks of Russian attacks on Ukrainian data centers. Kyiv maintains that its strikes aim to impact revenue streams supporting Moscow's war efforts and could compel Russia to redirect resources towards repairing damaged infrastructure. Ukraine's defense ministry confirmed the data center attacks, suggesting they could force Russia to divert resources from other areas.

This escalation follows previous incidents, including a Russian drone strike on a business center in Kyiv last month that damaged a data center and caused internet outages for approximately 100,000 households. Ukrainian firms have begun relocating data to facilities abroad in response to such attacks. Moscow has previously justified its strikes on data centers by claiming they are used by Ukrainian military intelligence, while Ukraine accuses Russia of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, particularly energy facilities ahead of winter.