Ukraine expands drone strikes on Yandex data centres, disrupting operations
by@Reuters
Summary
Ukraine has intensified its drone strikes on data centres belonging to the Russian technology company Yandex, targeting a major facility in Kaluga and another in Sasovo, which affected key operations and infrastructure critical to Yandex’s services. This escalation follows Russia's attacks on Ukrainian data centres and is part of a broader tit-for-tat response, as both nations have recently widened their drone strikes to include various infrastructure, ranging from energy facilities to e-commerce warehouses. Yandex reported partial operational shutdowns at two of its five data centres, which are vital for its AI and online services, amidst rising disruptions and concerns over the impact on its business continuity.
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Analysis
Yandex: Yandex is a major Russian technology company often referred to as Russia's Google, providing search, maps, music, video, e-commerce, and cloud services that are integral to everyday life for millions of users and businesses. It is heavily involved in AI development, operating multiple large data centers including supercomputers for training models like YandexGPT. In this news, Ukrainian drone strikes have targeted two of its five data centers in Sasovo and Kaluga, disrupting operations and prompting the company to redistribute loads to other sites while warning of impacts on services and B2B clients. Firepoint: Firepoint is a Ukrainian arms manufacturer that produces the FP-1 one-way attack drones used in recent strikes. It publicly confirmed the use of its drones in the attack on Yandex's Kaluga data center, describing it as targeting one of the company's largest facilities and knocking out several modules. This statement provides direct attribution for Ukraine's actions in the reported escalation of strikes on Russian infrastructure. Vladislav Shapsha: Vladislav Shapsha is the regional governor of Kaluga in Russia, responsible for local response to incidents in his area. He reported that Ukrainian strikes hit unnamed infrastructure in the city, resulting in nine injuries with five people hospitalized. This provides on-the-ground details about the immediate human impact of the drone attack on the Yandex data center. Maryana Lazaricheva: Maryana Lazaricheva is the head of equity research at T-Investments, providing analysis on Russian companies including Yandex. She noted that the data center attacks pose risks to service availability, revenue in specific segments, and the company's extensive B2B client base, while suggesting potential load redistribution to other centers if attacks continue. Her assessment highlights the operational and financial vulnerabilities exposed by the strikes. Volodymyr Zelenskiy: Volodymyr Zelenskiy is the President of Ukraine who has overseen the country's military response in the ongoing war with Russia. He stated that Ukraine is responding in a mirror-like fashion to Russian attacks on Ukrainian data centers and telecommunications infrastructure, confirming the strikes on Yandex facilities as tit-for-tat actions. His comments frame the recent drone attacks as part of a reciprocal escalation in targeting infrastructure. Tit-for-tat strikes: Ukraine and Russia have both expanded drone attacks on each other's data centers and telecommunications infrastructure over the past month in response to similar strikes by the opposing side. Infrastructure targeting: Both countries have broadened drone strikes this year to include energy facilities, refineries, ports, e-commerce warehouses, and now data centers as part of the escalating war of attrition.
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