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Ukrainian drone strikes shut down third Yandex data center in four days

Ukrainian drone strikes shut down third Yandex data center in four days

Force in Play

All three of Yandex's supercomputers are offline, disrupting services across Russia and neighboring countries

Today: Third strike shuts down Vladimir data center

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Ukrainian drones struck Yandex's data center in Vladimir on Sunday, completely halting operations there. It was the third attack on the Russian tech giant's facilities in four days, and it took down the last of the company's three supercomputers.

The strikes knocked out services used by tens of millions of people across Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Armenia. Taxi apps, banking, music streaming, and cloud computing for thousands of businesses went down. They're part of Ukraine's expanding campaign to hit infrastructure that funds Russia's war machine.

Why it matters

Ukraine is now hitting Russia's civilian tech backbone, forcing Moscow to choose between repairing infrastructure and funding the front line.

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Key Indicators

3 of 5
Yandex data centers hit in 4 days
Three of Yandex's five data centers were struck between October 8 and 11.
3
Supercomputers offline
Galushkin, Chervonenkis, and Lyapunov supercomputers are all down, halting AI model training.
80+
Services disrupted
Consumer apps and enterprise cloud services were affected across Russia and neighboring countries.
4
Countries affected
Users in Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Armenia reported outages.

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People Involved

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Timeline

5 events Latest: Today
Tap a bar to jump to that date
  1. Third strike shuts down Vladimir data center

    Today Military Strike

    Ukrainian drones strike Yandex's Vladimir data center, halting operations. Last supercomputer goes offline.

  2. Russian forces strike Sloviansk and Kyiv

    Today Military Strike

    Russian forces hit apartment blocks in Sloviansk, injuring four, and warehouses in Kyiv.

  3. Russian strikes kill 20 in Zaporizhzhia

    Military Strike

    Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia kill at least 20, including four children.

  4. Second strike hits Yandex facility in Kaluga

    Military Strike

    Ukrainian drones strike a Yandex data center in Kaluga, southwest of Moscow, suspending operations.

  5. First strike hits Yandex data center in Sasovo

    Military Strike

    Ukrainian drones strike Yandex's Sasovo data center, housing two supercomputers. Facility shut down.

Scenarios

1

Ukraine widens deep-strike campaign against Russian infrastructure

Likely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Reuters, AP

Ukraine continues targeting Russian economic and tech infrastructure, forcing Moscow to divert air defense and repair resources. The Yandex strikes show Kyiv can hit targets deep inside Russia with FP-1 drones, and the campaign may expand to other tech companies or economic assets.

2

Russia escalates strikes on Ukrainian cities in retaliation

Likely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: BBC, Euronews

Russia has already continued strikes on Ukrainian cities through the weekend, including Zaporizhzhia where 20 people were killed. Moscow may intensify these attacks in response to the Yandex strikes, targeting energy infrastructure and civilian areas.

3

US pressure produces limited de-escalation deal

Possible Resolves by Jan 31, 2027

Discussed by: BBC, Trump statements

Trump has warned Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries. Zelensky has offered to stop striking Russian refineries if Russia stops striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure. A limited deal could emerge, though Trump's comment that Ukraine needs a new president complicates negotiations.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

October 2022 - March 2023

Russia's 2022-2023 winter strikes on Ukrainian power grid

Russia launched waves of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, knocking out power for millions during winter. The campaign targeted substations, transformers, and power plants across the country.

Then

Millions of Ukrainians endured rolling blackouts and freezing temperatures. The grid survived but was severely damaged.

Now

The campaign failed to break Ukrainian morale and demonstrated the limits of infrastructure bombing as a strategy.

Why this matters now

Ukraine is now applying similar tactics to Russian infrastructure, targeting data centers and other economic assets to pressure Moscow.

2024-2025

Ukraine's 2024-2025 drone campaign against Russian oil refineries

Ukraine began striking Russian oil refineries with long-range drones, disrupting fuel production and forcing Moscow to divert air defenses. The campaign demonstrated Ukraine's ability to hit targets deep inside Russia.

Then

Russian fuel production was disrupted, and Moscow had to import gasoline. Ukraine proved it could strike deep inside Russian territory.

Now

The campaign set a precedent for targeting Russian economic infrastructure, which the Yandex strikes now extend.

Why this matters now

The Yandex strikes are a direct extension of this campaign, moving from energy to tech infrastructure.

Sources

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