Pull to refresh
Logo
What Changed
Following Why Sign Up
Ukrainian drone strikes shut down third Yandex data center in four days

Ukrainian drone strikes shut down third Yandex data center in four days

Force in Play

Three Yandex data centers and all three AI supercomputers are down; recovery may take months, and claims that the strikes silenced Russian bot networks are disputed.

October 17th, 2026: Ukraine agency reports 84% collapse in Russian bot activity

Overview

Updated Oct 18

Ukrainian drones knocked out three of Yandex's five data centers between October 8 and 11. All three AI supercomputers went down, disrupting taxi, banking, music and cloud services used by millions in Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Armenia. Yandex moved customers to rival clouds, waived fees through the end of October, and reports say repairs could take months.

Claims that the strikes silenced Russian troll farms spread widely. BBC Verify found no evidence the bot networks shrank; the traffic drop measured automated web requests, not social-media bots. Trump announced an 'energy ceasefire' on October 11, but Ukraine reported Russian strikes on its power grid continuing hours later.

Why it matters

Ukraine is now hitting Russia's civilian tech backbone, forcing Moscow to choose between repairing infrastructure and funding the front line.

Questions about this story

Free account needed to ask — your question is kept and asked for you right after sign-up. Answers are public.

No questions yet — be the first to ask.

Key Indicators

3 of 5
Yandex data centers hit in 4 days
Three of Yandex's five data centers were struck between October 8 and 11.
3
Supercomputers offline
Galushkin, Chervonenkis, and Lyapunov supercomputers are all down, halting AI model training.
80+
Services disrupted
Consumer apps and enterprise cloud services were affected across Russia and neighboring countries.
4
Countries affected
Users in Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Armenia reported outages.
57%
Drop in bot traffic from Yandex network
Bot traffic from Yandex's network fell 57% on October 8, per Tom's Hardware. BBC Verify says the measure covers automated web requests, not social-media bots.
84%
Reported drop in Russian bot activity
Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation reported an 84% collapse after the strikes. BBC Verify found no evidence of reduced Kremlin-linked bot networks.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Sign up to generate historical perspectives on this story.

Log in Sign Up

People Involved

Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
Welcomed Trump's 'energy ceasefire' on October 11 while reporting Russian strikes on Ukraine's grid continued; said Ukraine could hold elections under a 60-day ceasefire
 Donald Trump
Donald Trump
President of the United States
Announced Russia and Ukraine agreed to an 'energy ceasefire' on October 11, with no details; Kyiv said Russian strikes continued after the announcement
 Aleksandr Avdeev
Aleksandr Avdeev
Governor of Vladimir Region
Reported drone damage to local electrical substations

Organizations Involved

Yandex
Yandex
Technology company
Three of five data centers hit in four days; services in emergency mode, cloud and software fees waived through end of October; Kremlin says government is discussing the company's troubles

Russia's largest technology company, often called 'Russia's Google.'
Yandex Cloud
Yandex Cloud
Cloud computing platform
Operating in emergency mode after Vladimir data center shutdown

Yandex's cloud computing arm, hosting enterprise systems for thousands of Russian businesses.

Timeline

14 events Latest: October 17th, 2026 · 4 weeks ago Showing 8 of 14
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Ukraine agency reports 84% collapse in Russian bot activity

    Latest Impact Analysis

    Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation said Russian bot activity collapsed 84% after the Yandex strikes. BBC Verify and independent researchers found no evidence of reduced Kremlin-linked bot networks.

  2. Kremlin says government discussing Yandex's troubles

    Political

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the government is discussing the situation at Yandex after the drone strikes. He said it was too early to assess users' financial losses.

  3. Yandex waives cloud and software fees

    Business

    Yandex waived fees for cloud computing and its virtual office suite through the end of October while engineers work to restore services damaged in the drone strikes.

  4. BBC Verify finds no evidence strikes cut Russian bot networks

    Impact Analysis

    BBC Verify reported that researchers found no evidence the strikes reduced Kremlin-linked bot networks. Cloudflare data showing a traffic drop covers automated web requests, not social-media bots.

  5. Third strike shuts down Vladimir data center

    Military Strike

    Ukrainian drones strike Yandex's Vladimir data center, halting operations. Last supercomputer goes offline.

  6. Russian forces strike Sloviansk and Kyiv

    Military Strike

    Russian forces hit apartment blocks in Sloviansk, injuring four, and warehouses in Kyiv.

  7. Trump announces Russia-Ukraine 'energy ceasefire'

    Diplomacy

    Trump said both countries had agreed to an 'energy ceasefire' taking effect immediately, offering no details. Kyiv reported Russian strikes on its power grid continuing hours later, including an attack on a Kharkiv power plant.

  8. Russian strikes kill at least 23 in Zaporizhzhia

    Military Strike

    Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia killed at least 23 people, including four children. President Zelenskyy cited the toll on October 11.

  9. Second strike hits Yandex facility in Kaluga

    Military Strike

    Ukrainian drones strike a Yandex data center in Kaluga, southwest of Moscow, suspending operations.

  10. Yandex shifts customers to rival cloud providers

    Business

    Yandex agreed with Selectel, K2Cloud, and VK Cloud to speed migration of affected customers' data and services after two data centers were hit.

  11. Trump strikes deal to buy diesel from Russia

    Diplomacy

    Trump announced a deal with Putin to buy diesel from Moscow, aiming to address high US fuel prices. Ukrainian and European officials said it would help pay for Russia's war effort.

  12. First strike hits Yandex data center in Sasovo

    Military Strike

    Ukrainian drones strike Yandex's Sasovo data center, housing two supercomputers. Facility shut down.

  13. Russian bot traffic drops 57% after Sasovo strike

    Impact Analysis

    Bot traffic from Yandex's network fell 57% on October 8 after the strike on Yandex's Sasovo data center, which housed two AI supercomputers, per Tom's Hardware analysis. BBC Verify later said the measure covers automated web requests, not social-media bots.

  14. Yandex shares fall more than 4% on Moscow exchange

    Market Reaction

    Yandex shares dropped more than 4% on the Moscow exchange following the strikes on its data centers.

Scenarios

1

Ukraine widens deep-strike campaign against Russian infrastructure

Likely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Reuters, AP

Ukraine continues targeting Russian economic and tech infrastructure, forcing Moscow to divert air defense and repair resources. The Yandex strikes show Kyiv can hit targets deep inside Russia with FP-1 drones, and the campaign may expand to other tech companies or economic assets.

2

Russia escalates strikes on Ukrainian cities in retaliation

Likely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: BBC, Euronews

Russia has already continued strikes on Ukrainian cities through the weekend, including Zaporizhzhia where 20 people were killed. Moscow may intensify these attacks in response to the Yandex strikes, targeting energy infrastructure and civilian areas.

3

US pressure produces limited de-escalation deal

Possible Resolves by Jan 31, 2027

Discussed by: BBC, Trump statements

Trump has warned Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries. Zelensky has offered to stop striking Russian refineries if Russia stops striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure. A limited deal could emerge, though Trump's comment that Ukraine needs a new president complicates negotiations.

4

Energy ceasefire announced by Trump fails to hold

Possible Resolves by Dec 1, 2026

Discussed by: ABC News, statements from Zelensky and Russian officials

Trump announced on October 11 that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an 'energy ceasefire' taking effect immediately. Kyiv said Russian strikes on its power grid continued hours later, and Moscow did not immediately comment. Ukraine has said it will stop striking Russian refineries if Russia halts attacks on its energy system.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

October 2022 - March 2023

Russia's 2022-2023 winter strikes on Ukrainian power grid

Russia launched waves of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, knocking out power for millions during winter. The campaign targeted substations, transformers, and power plants across the country.

Then

Millions of Ukrainians endured rolling blackouts and freezing temperatures. The grid survived but was severely damaged.

Now

The campaign failed to break Ukrainian morale and demonstrated the limits of infrastructure bombing as a strategy.

Why this matters now

Ukraine is now applying similar tactics to Russian infrastructure, targeting data centers and other economic assets to pressure Moscow.

2024-2025

Ukraine's 2024-2025 drone campaign against Russian oil refineries

Ukraine began striking Russian oil refineries with long-range drones, disrupting fuel production and forcing Moscow to divert air defenses. The campaign demonstrated Ukraine's ability to hit targets deep inside Russia.

Then

Russian fuel production was disrupted, and Moscow had to import gasoline. Ukraine proved it could strike deep inside Russian territory.

Now

The campaign set a precedent for targeting Russian economic infrastructure, which the Yandex strikes now extend.

Why this matters now

The Yandex strikes are a direct extension of this campaign, moving from energy to tech infrastructure.

Sources

(17)
+11
AP News BBC TASS Euronews The Moscow Times Kyiv Post UNN YAC News Tom's Hardware Baltic Security Monitor BD News 24 ABC News Meduza Technology.org Center for Countering Disinformation (Ukraine) BBC The Moscow Times