Full Breakdown
Ukraine’s Drone Strikes Target Yandex Data Centres in Rapid Retaliation
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On October 9, Ukrainian drones struck the Yandex data centre in the Kaluga region, disabling several modules and threatening service interruptions. The attack follows a strike the previous day on Yandex’s Sasovo facility in the Ryazan region, which caused a fire and a complete shutdown of that centre’s operations. Yandex confirmed that parts of the Kaluga infrastructure were damaged and that emergency crews were on site. Regional governor Vladislav Shapsha reported nine injuries, while Yandex’s own statement said no one was hurt.
Background & Context
The attacks appear to be a “mirror-like” response to Russian drone strikes on Ukrainian data hubs on September 25, when Russia used Geran-5 jet-powered drones to knock out servers in Kyiv, forcing firms to relocate data abroad. Ukraine has previously targeted Russian logistics and e-commerce sites—such as Wildberries and Ozon—in retaliation for similar Russian actions. Yandex, often described as Russia’s Google, runs a network of five data centres that support millions of consumer and business services, including the YandexGPT AI model.
Timeline
- September 25 – Russian Geran-5 drones destroy data centres in Kyiv.
- October 8 – Ukrainian drones hit Yandex’s Sasovo data centre in Ryazan, igniting a fire and halting operations.
- October 9 – Ukrainian drones strike Yandex’s Kaluga data centre, disabling multiple modules.
Data & Statistics
- Russian authorities said 26 drones were shot down over Kaluga on October 9.
- Governor Shapsha reported nine injuries, five of which required hospital care.
- Yandex shares fell 4.5 % on the Moscow exchange after the attacks.
- The Kaluga site occupies 130,000 m² and is Yandex’s largest data centre.
- The Sasovo facility houses two of three supercomputers used for training YandexGPT.
Official Statements & Responses
- The company added that restoring services is its “most important task” and that it is working “day and night” to mitigate disruptions.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy: “We always respond in mirror-like fashion,” emphasizing that the strikes are a symmetric retaliation to Russian attacks on Ukrainian digital infrastructure.
- Maryana Lazaricheva, head of equity research at T-Investments, warned that the incidents pose risks not only of temporary service outages but also of revenue loss for Yandex’s extensive B2B client base.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Injuries: Yandex’s statement said no one was injured, whereas Governor Shapsha reported nine injuries.
- Extent of service impact: Early messages appeared on Yandex apps warning of possible problems, but the full scale of disruption remains unquantified.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The risks involve not only the potential temporary unavailability of Yandex services and lost revenue in specific segments but also the company's extensive base of B2B clients,” — Maryana Lazaricheva, head of equity research at T-Investments
- “We always respond in mirror-like fashion,” — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy
- “Part of Yandex data center infrastructure in Kaluga was damaged in a drone attack. Several data center modules are completely disabled,” — Ukraine. Yandex
What’s Next
No specific future actions or deadlines were disclosed in the available sources. Ukrainian officials have indicated a willingness to continue “mirror-like” responses, suggesting the possibility of further strikes on Russian digital infrastructure if additional attacks occur.