Ukrainian Drones Damage Two Yandex Data Centers in Russia
Ukrainian drone strikes damaged two Yandex data centers in Russia over two days, disrupting services for the company's search engine, apps, and AI systems, with President Zelensky stating the attacks mirror Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.
Yandex Data Centers Hit in Successive Drone Strikes
A drone attack on Oct. 9 disabled several modules at a Yandex data center in Kaluga Oblast, with some services experiencing disruptions and no injuries reported at the facility. [3] The previous day, a drone strike caused a fire at Yandex's Sasovo data center in Ryazan Oblast, suspending operations and affecting cloud infrastructure and two of three supercomputers used for AI development. [3] Yandex said its data centre in Sasovo had been seriously damaged as a result of a drone attack overnight into Thursday, with its operations completely suspended. [5] Another data centre in Kaluga had also been attacked on Friday morning, with part of that site's infrastructure taken out of service. [5] Yandex reported that its data centres were critical for the normal operation of its services and that it was very difficult to predict when they would be back online. [5] Teams were working day and night to keep services running, though the company noted that unfortunately it is not a simple task. [5] The tech giant said none of its employees had been injured in the strikes. [5] Ukraine has not publicly confirmed responsibility for the attack on the Kaluga data center. [3]
Zelensky Links Strikes to Russian Attacks on Ukraine
Zelensky confirmed Ukraine responds in kind to Russian attacks on Ukrainian data centers, which in late September disrupted internet for about 100,000 households in Kyiv. [3] Responding to questions about the Sasovo strike on Oct. 8, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would continue retaliating against Russian attacks on Ukrainian data centers. [3] We certainly are capable, Zelensky said. [3] We always respond in kind. Regarding data centers, as you all know, they have been and still are striking our data centers. [3] We responded to them, he added. [3] I cannot share all the details. [3] Ukraine's defence ministry confirmed the data centre attacks, saying they could force Russia to divert resources to repair the damaged capacity. [5] Zelensky said Kyiv was responding to similar Russian attacks on Ukrainian data centres in a mirror-like fashion. [5] Both sides have stepped up attacks on infrastructure in recent months as the war between the two drags on. [5]
Disruptions to Russian Services and Infrastructure
Yandex, dubbed Russia's Google, runs the country's most popular search engine along with food-ordering and taxi apps used by tens of millions. [5] The exact scope of the disruption to the company's services is unclear, though it told state news agency Tass that some of its AI chatbot functions were temporarily unavailable, while its smart home devices may also experience problems. [5] Yandex previously said its Kaluga data centre was one of Russia's largest, covering an area of 130,000 sqm and consuming as much electricity annually as 220,000 UK households. [5] Its data centre in Sasovo houses two of three supercomputers used to develop the company's AI model. [5] It is unclear whether the supercomputers survived the attack. [5] The attack coincided with reports of widespread internet disruptions across Russia, affecting banking services, transport websites, and online platforms. [3] Kyiv says its strikes are aimed at revenue streams for Moscow's war machine, and that the latest attacks could force Russia to divert resources to Yandex. [5] Some Ukrainian firms have already begun moving data from damaged servers to facilities abroad. [5]
Russian Claims and Regional Impacts
Russian authorities reported shooting down 26 drones over Kaluga Oblast, where nine people were injured in related attacks on infrastructure. [3] The regional governor in Kaluga said nine people had been injured in a drone attack on the city's infrastructure. [5] Several Moscow airports temporarily suspended flights on Oct. 9, as suspected Ukrainian drones and balloons entered airspace around the Russian capital. [3] Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky airports all halted operations during the alleged Ukrainian raid, disrupting flights and causing long delays. [3] Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed the Ministry of Defense's air defense forces repelled an attack by 15 UAVs. [3] A number of unknown balloons, which both Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels claimed were launched by the Ukrainian military, were also seen in the Russian skies. [3]
Broader Strike Context in the Ukraine War
Ukrainian missile strikes on Russian army command posts in Donetsk on Aug. 26 killed more Russian officers than in any other single attack during the war, independent monitors claim. [2] Mediazona, an independent Russian outlet that tracks Russian military deaths in collaboration with the BBC Russian Service, identified 20 officers killed in the attack. [2] Each of the dead Russian officers was identified by name, age, and rank by Mediazona. [2] Seven colonels, six lieutenant colonels, five majors, one captain, and one senior lieutenant were killed in the strikes, which hit the headquarters of the Central Military District and the 41st Combined Arms Army in occupied Donetsk. [2] According to Mediazona, 18 of the Russian officers died immediately in the missile strike, while two succumbed to their injuries. [2] Denis Pushilin, the head of the Russian illegal occupation administration in Donetsk Oblast, confirmed in a post on Telegram that Ukraine had launched an attack on targets in Donetsk on Aug. 26, claiming that Anglo-French Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles were used, and that eight civilians were injured. [2] The number of people injured in Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia on 9 October has risen to 23. [4] Those injured are receiving the necessary medical treatment, said acting Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration Mykhailo Semikin. [4] On the morning of 9 October, the Russians launched six strikes on Zaporizhzhia, attacking residential areas. [4] One of the strikes hit near an extracurricular education facility. [4] A man was killed in the attack. [4]
What to watch next: Yandex said it was still assessing whether damaged equipment could be restored, while independent monitors continue to track Russian military deaths and Ukrainian officials report further civilian injuries from strikes on Zaporizhzhia.
