---
title: "Ukrainian Drones Target Yandex Data Centers in Cyber Warfare Escalation"
url: https://noti.group/ukrainian-drones-target-yandex-data-centers-in-cyber-warfare/
language: en
publisher: "Noti Group"
section: "Technology"
published: 2026-10-09T22:04:07.000Z
updated: 2026-10-10T04:26:54.022Z
id: ebd70a0f-fd4a-4f0b-9dd8-c028681848ce
source: "Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/10/ukraines-drones-knock-out-ai-data-center-belonging-to-russias-google/"
attribution: "Link to https://noti.group/ukrainian-drones-target-yandex-data-centers-in-cyber-warfare/ and name Noti Group when you quote or summarize this story."
---

# Ukrainian Drones Target Yandex Data Centers in Cyber Warfare Escalation

Ukrainian drones have attacked two Yandex data centers in Russia, disrupting the country's leading search engine and online services provider.

Ukrainian drones have dealt a significant blow to Russia's tech sector by knocking out key data centers belonging to Yandex, the country's leading search engine and online services provider. The damage has left Yandex struggling to maintain its AI chatbot and other online services.

The Ukrainian drone strikes targeted two of five Yandex data centers in the Sasovo and Kaluga regions of Russia on October 8 and 9, respectively. These attacks are a direct response to Russian drone strikes targeting Ukraine's data centers, which have disrupted mobile phone and Internet services for thousands of Ukrainians since late September.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the latest actions in a statement on X, saying that they continue to respond to Russia's attacks on Ukraine with high precision. He also mentioned another data center was hit in the response. The Ukrainian leader has emphasized the need for symmetrical action.

The attack on Yandex's Kaluga data center, its largest facility, involved FP-1 one-way attack drones from the Ukrainian company Firepoint, according to reports. This drone strike is notable as it targeted the facility housing two of Yandex's three supercomputers used for training its AI model, YandexGPT.

The damage inflicted on Yandex's data centers highlights the escalating cyber warfare between Ukraine and Russia, with each side targeting critical infrastructure in an effort to gain an advantage.

Disruptions were reported at several popular online services in Russia following a cyberattack by Ukraine's drones on Yandex's data centers. The attack caused problems for users trying to access media websites and apps from various platforms, including Ivi video streaming and T-Bank digital banking.

Other affected Russian services included the state-owned Russian Railways website, as well as several other popular apps such as dating platforms, real estate aggregators, self-publishing book platforms, and a professional soccer club's website. These disruptions indicate the widespread impact of the cyberattack on Russia's online infrastructure.

The targeting of data centers is not a new tactic in modern warfare, with multiple countries employing this strategy in recent years. For instance, Iranian drones knocked out Amazon data centers in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates following US and Israeli attacks on Iran in February 2026.

Ukraine's drone strikes have expanded their targets beyond military bases and supply lines, also focusing on Russian-linked shipping in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea, as well as energy infrastructure such as oil refineries. The summer of 2026 saw Ukraine target multiple warehouses belonging to Russian companies Wildberries and Ozon, which are Russia's equivalents of Amazon.

In a further escalation, coordinated aerial and sea drone strikes sank two commercial ships in the Black Sea on October 5 and 6 within the exclusive economic zones of NATO member countries Romania and Bulgaria. The attacks were attributed by Ukraine's president Zelenskyy to Russia, highlighting the increasingly complex nature of the conflict.

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Source: [Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/10/ukraines-drones-knock-out-ai-data-center-belonging-to-russias-google/)  
Published by Noti Group: https://noti.group/ukrainian-drones-target-yandex-data-centers-in-cyber-warfare/