Russian search engine Yandex struggles after Ukrainian strikes on data centres

Russian internet giant Yandex, often called “Russia’s Google,” announced that two of its five data centres have been hit by Ukrainian drones within 48 hours, severely disrupting its services. The attacks struck the Sasovo centre in the Ryazan region, leaving it “seriously damaged” and completely offline, and the Kaluga centre southwest of Moscow, where part of the infrastructure was taken out of service. Yandex, which runs the nation’s most popular search engine and a suite of apps used by tens of millions, said its teams are working around the clock to restore operations, but the timeline remains uncertain. No Yandex employees were injured, though the Kaluga regional governor reported nine civilian injuries from a separate drone strike on the city’s infrastructure.

The strikes are part of Kyiv’s retaliation for weeks of Russian attacks on Ukrainian data centres, a strategy President Volodymyr Zelensky described as targeting Moscow’s revenue streams that fund its war effort. Ukraine’s defence ministry warned the damage could force Russia to divert resources to repair the lost capacity, while Moscow claims the facilities were being used by Ukrainian military intelligence. The Sasovo centre houses two of Yandex’s three supercomputers that develop its AI models, and the Kaluga site is one of Russia’s largest data hubs, spanning 130,000 sqm and consuming electricity comparable to 220,000 UK households. It remains unclear whether the supercomputers survived the assault.

The disruption has already affected Yandex’s offerings, with some AI chatbot functions temporarily unavailable and potential issues for its smart‑home devices. The broader conflict has seen both sides intensify attacks on critical infrastructure, including a recent Russian drone strike on a Kyiv business centre that killed four people and knocked out internet service for about 100,000 households. Ukrainian firms are now moving data abroad, while Russia continues to target energy and civilian sites ahead of the approaching winter, underscoring the escalating cyber‑physical warfare that threatens everyday digital services across both nations.

⚡ Effects Interpreter