Yandex hit: Drone strikes cripple Russia’s biggest search engine

Sat Oct 10 2026 02:51:38 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Ukraine’s drone attack on Yandex data centres has disrupted millions of users, sparking a tech showdown amid the war.

Yandex, Russia’s leading search engine, suffered outages after Ukrainian drones struck two of its five data centres. The hit on the Sasovo and Kaluga hubs shut down key services, forcing the company to work around the clock to restore online access. The strikes are part of a broader conflict over infrastructure, with Kyiv targeting revenue streams and Moscow responding in kind. While no staff were injured, the damage may compel Russia to redirect resources, affecting its war effort and AI ambitions.

Data centre in flames after Ukrainian drone strike

Yandex hit: Drone strikes damage Russia’s biggest search engine

Two data centres of Yandex, Russia’s number‑one search engine, were struck by Ukrainian drones, causing major outages and putting millions of users offline.

Yandex doesn’t just power search – it handles food‑delivery, ridesharing and AI tools used by millions. Last week’s strikes hit sites in the Ryazan and Kaluga regions, shutting down power and data traffic.

Zelensky said the attacks were a response to Russian hits on Ukrainian data hubs. In the past month, both sides have targeted infrastructure to hinder the other’s war effort and to drain resources.

Inside Yandex, teams worked “day and night” to restore key services, but AI chatbots and smart‑home devices remain down until the damaged systems are fixed.

No staff were hurt, but the damage forces Russia to divert funds that could have gone straight to the front line. Some analysts fear the loss of two supercomputers in Sasovo may set back Russia’s AI ambitions.

With the struggle ongoing, Ukrainian companies are already moving data to overseas servers, a trend that could reshape global tech supply chains.