Russian tech giant Yandex is experiencing disruptions to its digital services after two of its data centers were struck by Ukrainian drones. The company, often referred to as "Russia's Google," operates the country's most popular search engine, as well as food-ordering and taxi apps used by tens of millions of people.
What happened
Yandex's data center in Sasovo, in the Ryazan region, was "seriously damaged" in a drone attack, with operations "completely suspended." Another data center in Kaluga, south-west of Moscow, was also attacked, with part of the site's infrastructure "taken out of service." The attacks were in response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian data centers, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stating that the strikes were aimed at revenue streams for Moscow's war machine.
The exact scope of the disruption to Yandex's services is unclear, but the company has reported that some of its AI chatbot functions are temporarily unavailable, and its smart home devices may experience problems. Yandex has stated that its data centers are "critical" for the normal operation of its services and that it is "very difficult to predict" when they will be back online.
Ukraine's defense ministry has confirmed the data center attacks, stating that they could "force Russia to divert resources to repair the damaged capacity." The regional governor in Kaluga reported that nine people were injured in a drone attack on the city's infrastructure, but Yandex stated that none of its employees were injured in the strikes.
