Yandex data centers sustain damage from series of drone attacks

Over the course of several days in October 2026, the Russian technology company Yandex faced a series of drone attacks targeting its critical infrastructure. The incidents began with a strike on a major data center in the Ryazan region, which resulted in a fire and a full operational shutdown. Subsequent reports identified further drone strikes on Yandex facilities in the Kaluga region, located southwest of Moscow, and in the Vladimir region, east of the capital. These attacks have led to the suspension of operations at multiple sites, with some facilities suffering significant equipment damage.

While Yandex has confirmed that the core services provided to its millions of consumers—such as its search engine, delivery, and transport platforms—remain operational, it has acknowledged potential service disruptions. The company is currently assessing the extent of the damage to its hardware, including critical equipment used for developing its YandexGPT artificial intelligence model. Emergency response teams have been deployed to the affected sites to evaluate the destruction and explore options for system restoration. Customers have been advised by the company to switch to alternative data zones and initiate disaster recovery protocols where necessary. These strikes mark a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict, as both Russia and Ukraine increasingly target economic and digital infrastructure, such as energy grids and data storage facilities.