Yandex suspends Vladimir data center operations following Ukrainian drone strike

Russian tech giant Yandex has shut down a data center in the Vladimir region after it was damaged by a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday.

Yandex reported that the facility, located east of Moscow, suffered damage that forced a complete suspension of operations. While the company confirmed the strike via Telegram, it stated that no injuries occurred. According to the BBC, the shutdown has caused service interruptions for some users, though Yandex is currently working to restore connectivity.

The strike marks the third time this week that Yandex infrastructure has been targeted. BBC News reported that previous attacks occurred on Thursday in Sasovo and Friday in Kaluga. These successive strikes have impacted various services, including the company's AI chatbot and smart home device functionality.

The BBC noted that Yandex, often referred to as "Russia's Google," manages critical services used by tens of millions of people, such as taxi and food-ordering apps. The company previously stated that predicting when hit facilities would be back online is difficult. Al Jazeera and Reuters also confirmed the shutdown, citing the escalating conflict involving tech infrastructure.

Kyiv has claimed responsibility for targeting sites that fund Russia's military efforts. The BBC reported that the Ukrainian government believes these strikes may force Russia to divert resources toward repairs. This latest development follows recent warnings from US President Donald Trump regarding Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure.

Background

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is now in its fifth year following the full-scale invasion. Both nations have recently increased attacks on infrastructure, with Russia also previously striking Ukrainian data centers to cause internet outages.