Smoke billows from Yandex's Sasovo hub following a Ukrainian strike on Thursday. The Russian tech giant Yandex has reported difficulties in maintaining its services after two of its five data centres were struck by Ukrainian drones in the past two days.
Background
Often referred to as "Russia's Google," Yandex operates the country's most popular search engine, along with a food-ordering and taxi app utilized by tens of millions. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the attacks were a response to weeks of Russian strikes on Ukrainian data centres. Both sides have intensified attacks on infrastructure as the war continues.
Recent Developments
Kyiv claims its strikes target revenue streams for Moscow's war efforts, suggesting that the latest attacks could compel Russia to redirect resources to Yandex. The company reported that its data centre in Sasovo, located in the Ryazan region, was "seriously damaged as a result of a drone attack" overnight into Thursday, leading to a complete suspension of operations. Another data centre in Kaluga, south-west of Moscow, was also attacked on Friday morning, with part of its infrastructure rendered inoperable.
Yandex stated that its data centres are "critical" for the normal operation of its services and that it is "very difficult to predict" when they will be back online. The company mentioned that teams are working "day and night" to keep services running, but acknowledged that it is "not a simple task." Fortunately, no employees were reported injured in the strikes.
