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    Ukrainian Drone Strikes Disrupt Yandex Data Centers in Russia

    Section editor: ·Moderate4 articles covering this·4 news sources·Updated 4 hours ago·World
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    Map showing locations of Yandex data centers targeted by Ukrainian drone strikes during the conflict.

    What happened

    Ukrainian drone strikes targeted three Yandex data centers in Russia from October 8 to 11, 2026, leading to significant operational disruptions.

    The Context

    • Reciprocal Attacks: The strikes are part of a broader pattern of targeting critical infrastructure, with both nations attacking each other's data centers.
    • Yandex's Role: As Russia's leading tech company, Yandex supports essential services like search and cloud computing, affecting millions of users.
    • Disinformation Claims: While some reports suggest a reduction in Russian online disinformation, experts attribute this to Yandex's own systems rather than a decline in Kremlin operations.

    The Number

    3

    — The number of Yandex data centers struck by Ukrainian drones in four days, resulting in full suspension at two sites, which could disrupt services for millions.

    Takeaway

    As the conflict evolves, expect continued impacts on digital services and information flow, influencing both local and international users.

    4 Articles
    France 24

    Have Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centres hit Russian online disinformation?

    Recent Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centers have reportedly led to a noticeable decrease in pro-Russian and far-right populist content on social media, as internet users claim that these attacks have disrupted Russian disinformation operations.

    The Guardian

    Did Ukrainian strikes on Russian datacentres reduce online disinformation?

    Over the weekend, Ukraine conducted airstrikes on multiple datacentres belonging to the Russian search engine Yandex, resulting in significant damage and operational disruptions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that these strikes have...

    BBC News

    Is Zelensky right to say data centre strikes have taken down Russian bots?

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that recent strikes on Yandex data centers have disrupted Russian bot operations, although experts have found no evidence supporting this assertion. The attacks on Yandex, a major Russian tech company, h...

    The Verge — All Posts

    The Yandex outage probably didn’t blitz Russian bots

    Recent Ukrainian drone strikes have targeted Russian data centers, including one associated with Yandex, leading to a significant decrease in online bot traffic. Despite claims of a major impact on Russian bot activity, the actual decline may not ref...

    The Verge

    The Yandex outage probably didn’t blitz Russian bots

    Recent Ukrainian drone strikes have targeted Russian data centers, including one associated with Yandex, leading to a significant decrease in online bot traffic. Despite claims of a major impact on Russian bot activity, the actual decline may not ref...