Ukrainian drone strikes knock out three major Yandex data centers in Russia, disrupting digital services nationwide.

Recent Ukrainian drone strikes have knocked out three major data centers belonging to Russian tech giant Yandex, exposing vulnerabilities in Russia's centralized digital infrastructure. The attacks occurred between October 8 and October 11, hitting facilities in the Sasovo, Kaluga, and Vladimir regions near Moscow. These sites housed three supercomputers used to train Yandex's YandexGPT artificial intelligence model and supported cloud computing services for major Russian companies, including grocery chains and fast-food retailers.

The strikes triggered widespread disruptions across popular Russian payment apps, e-commerce platforms, streaming services, and delivery apps. According to reports, Russia's hyper-centralized digital economy left the country ill-prepared for this form of wartime retaliation. Pro-Kremlin commentators warned that Yandex's dominant market share and concentrated infrastructure created a single point of failure.

Furthermore, Russia's Sovereign Internet Law prevents companies from easily backing up infrastructure in friendly nations, while sanctions block access elsewhere. An unnamed IT expert interviewed by Kommersant estimated that Yandex could need up to six months to replace the damaged equipment, leaving Russian digital services facing prolonged uncertainty.