Ukraine Targets Yandex Data Centers as US Urges Restraint

Ukraine has conducted a series of drone strikes targeting data centers belonging to Russian tech giant Yandex, disrupting services including its AI chatbot and food-ordering app. The attacks, occurring in Vladimir, Kaluga, and Sasovo, prompted Yandex to suspend operations at one facility and report significant damage to others. Kyiv stated the strikes aim to degrade revenue streams supporting Russia’s war effort, while Moscow has retaliated with strikes on Ukrainian data centers. The attacks come amid escalating infrastructure targeting by both sides and as peace talks involving the US, Ukraine, and Europe are underway in Miami. Simultaneously, US President Donald Trump has called for Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries, a position drawing criticism from Europe and Ukraine.

On Sunday, Yandex confirmed its data center in Vladimir had been “completely suspended” following the latest attack. Earlier strikes on Thursday and Friday impacted services like Yandex’s AI chatbot and smart home devices. The company described its data centers as “critical” to its operations. Nine people were injured in the Kaluga region as a result of the strikes, with five hospitalized. Prior to these attacks, Russian forces had damaged or destroyed data centers belonging to at least eight companies since late September, calling these strikes a “forced digital detox.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the attacks on Yandex, stating Kyiv “responded” but declining to provide details. The strikes coincide with peace talks in Miami involving Ukrainian representatives and US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with invitations extended to national security advisors from the UK, France, and Germany, as well as representatives from NATO and the EU. Kushner and Witkoff are reportedly presenting “new ideas and proposals” for ending the war to the Ukrainian delegation, following a meeting with Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Russian strikes on Ukraine continued over the weekend, injuring six people in the Dnipropetrovsk region and killing at least 20, including four children, in Zaporizhzhia, according to local officials.

Where they differ

• Meduza detailed the specific injuries (9 injured, 5 hospitalized) in the Kaluga region, a detail not present in the other sources.
• Meduza provided more detail on the participants in the Miami peace talks, naming specific members of the Ukrainian delegation and mentioning invitations extended to other nations.
• Bloomberg focused on the connection between the Yandex strikes and pressure from the US regarding oil refinery attacks, framing it as a mirroring of tactics.

What is not yet known

• The specifics of the “new ideas and proposals” being presented in the Miami peace talks remain undisclosed.
• The extent to which the damage to Yandex’s data centers will impact its services long-term is not yet clear.

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