Yandex, Russia’s largest search engine operator and provider of food-delivery and taxi services, announced that two of its five data centres sustained significant damage from Ukrainian drone attacks within a two-day period. One facility in Sasovo, located in the Ryazan region, was struck overnight into Thursday and experienced complete operational suspension, while a second centre in Kaluga, situated southwest of Moscow, was attacked Friday morning with partial infrastructure disabled.
The company stated that both facilities are essential to maintaining normal service operations and indicated uncertainty regarding restoration timelines. Yandex confirmed that teams were operating continuously to restore capabilities, though the company characterized the task as exceptionally difficult. Some AI chatbot functions became temporarily unavailable, and smart home devices faced potential service interruptions. The firm reported no employee casualties, though authorities indicated nine people were injured in the Kaluga attack.
The Sasovo data centre houses two of three supercomputers dedicated to the company’s artificial intelligence development, with the status of these systems following the strike remaining unclear. The Kaluga facility previously held the designation of one of Russia’s largest data centres, spanning 130,000 square meters and consuming annual electricity equivalent to approximately 220,000 UK households.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky characterized the operations as reciprocal responses to weeks of Russian strikes targeting Ukrainian data centres. Ukraine’s defence ministry stated the attacks could compel Russia to redirect resources toward infrastructure repair. Kyiv maintains that such operations target revenue sources supporting Moscow’s military efforts. Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately striking civilian infrastructure, while Moscow contends the facilities supported military intelligence operations. Earlier this month, Russian drone strikes damaged a Kyiv business centre and data facility, resulting in four fatalities and internet disruptions affecting approximately 100,000 households.
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