Ukraine Drones Strike Yandex AI Data Centers in Russia
Ukrainian drone strikes have targeted and knocked out two key data centers belonging to Russian tech giant Yandex, disrupting AI services and digital applications.
Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer
Yandex Data Centers Hit by Drone Strikes
Ukrainian drone strikes have successfully knocked out two of five major data centers belonging to Russian tech giant Yandex, according to Reuters . The damage has left Yandex, frequently referred to as 'Russia’s Google' due to its dominant search engine market share, struggling to maintain its AI chatbot and other essential online services.
The strikes targeted Yandex facilities located in the Sasovo and Kaluga regions of Russia on October 8 and October 9. These military actions unfolded directly in response to a Russian drone strike campaign targeting Ukraine’s data centers , which has severely disrupted mobile phone and Internet services for thousands of Ukrainian citizens since late September.
Impact on AI Supercomputers and Services
The initial Ukrainian strike focused on Yandex’s Sasovo data center, a facility housing two of the company’s three specialized supercomputers utilized for training the YandexGPT AI model. A subsequent attack hit the Kaluga data center, which stands as Yandex's largest facility of its kind, with the Ukrainian company Firepoint stating its FP-1 one-way attack drones were deployed in the operation.
While Yandex confirmed that no employees suffered injuries during the attacks, the company acknowledged significant disruptions across several core services. Russian users quickly reported widespread difficulties accessing media websites and popular applications, including the Ivi video streaming platform, the T-Bank digital banking service, and the official website of Russian Railways, as detailed by the independent Russian news publication Meduza .
Official Statements and Regional Context
Discussing the military operations against the Russian tech infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the public in a post on X . He emphasized that the strikes represented a precise and calculated measure taken by Ukraine.
Beyond the tech infrastructure, the conflict has increasingly incorporated data centers and commercial digital hubs as wartime targets. Earlier in the year, after United States and Israel military actions against Iran, Iranian drones knocked out multiple Amazon data centers located in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Broader Technology and Military Developments
The targeting of Yandex follows a broader pattern of infrastructure attacks throughout the multi-year conflict. Since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian forces have routinely launched mass missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities, targeting power grids, transit networks, and residential buildings.
In response to ongoing interceptor weapon shortages, the Ukrainian military has steadily expanded its medium-range and long-range drone strike capabilities. These campaigns have frequently targeted Russian military bases, supply chains, energy facilities like oil refineries, and Russian-linked shipping in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea regions.
Sources
- Ars TechnicaUkraine’s drones knock out AI data center belonging to "Russia’s Google"
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