In brief
Ukraine struck Yandex's data centre near Moscow for the third time this week, halting services and raising concerns about digital infrastructure in the conflict. The drone attack, sustained without casualties, shows Ukraine’s focus on crippling Russia’s capabilities. US President Donald Trump condemned the strikes, urging Ukraine to stop hitting Russian oil refinery sites. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded that any de‑escalation be reciprocal and backed by real guarantees. The incident underscores the war’s shift toward cyber‑physical targets.
Ukraine strikes Yandex’s data centre near Moscow for the third time this week. The 240‑meter warehouse was hit by a drone, causing extensive damage and shutting down services for millions of users.
Yandex, known as “Russia’s Google,” reports that the centre in Vladimir suffered fire and structural damage. “No one was harmed, but we cannot guarantee immediate service availability,” the tech giant said, noting it is working to restore connectivity.
Earlier in the week Yandex had already lost two of its five data centres to Ukrainian strikes in Sasovo and Kaluga, leaving the company scrambling to protect its cloud infrastructure.
In the same breath that the strike was reported, former U.S. president Donald Trump warned on X that Ukraine should “damn well stop” attacking Russian oil refineries, calling the strategy reckless.
President Volodymyr Zelensky replied, demanding that any de‑escalation be reciprocal and backed by real guarantees. He added that Russia must stop striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure before Ukraine would pause its own attacks.
The incident highlights how the war has expanded beyond conventional fronts into the digital realm. As Yandex’s data centres go offline, millions of everyday users—from food‑ordering apps to taxi services—have felt the impact.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine’s south‑eastern districts have left several people injured and killed, underscoring the deadly human cost of this technological war.
