In a series of escalating strikes, Ukrainian forces used drones to damage three Yandex data centers in Russia over the past four days. The latest attack hit the facility in Vladimir, east of Moscow, shutting down services for users in dozens of Russian cities as well as in Kazakhstan, Belarus and Armenia.
Yandex confirms outages
Yandex, often described as Russia’s Google, posted on its Yandex Cloud Telegram channel that the Vladimir data center’s infrastructure was damaged and operations were completely halted, though no injuries were reported. Earlier this week, a drone strike knocked out a Yandex center in the Ryazan region, and a day later another strike partially disabled the company’s major hub in the Kaluga region.
Impact on everyday services
The outages left many Russians unable to order taxis, access banking apps, or use other digital services that rely on Yandex’s cloud platform. Independent Russian outlet Astra reported that the disruptions also affected users in neighboring Kazakhstan, Belarus and Armenia.
President Trump’s response
President Trump, speaking on Saturday, said it was time for Ukraine to consider new leadership, suggesting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not done enough to end the war and blaming him for high diesel prices in the United States. “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals and for some reason he never does,” Trump said.
Just a day earlier, President Trump negotiated a diesel purchase agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, aiming to bring down record U.S. diesel prices ahead of the midterm elections. The deal has drawn criticism from Ukrainian and European officials, who argue it could help fund Russia’s war effort, but the administration maintains the move is a pragmatic step to protect American consumers.
Ukrainian officials push back
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded on X, emphasizing that President Zelenskyy enjoys the support of the Ukrainian people and has the right to continue leading the nation’s fight for independence. “Statements from abroad only confirm that he is doing his job well,” Sybiha wrote.
Broader conflict context
The drone attacks on Yandex data centers come as both sides continue a long‑range aerial war while ground forces remain largely deadlocked more than four and a half years after Russia’s full‑scale invasion. Ukraine has previously targeted Russian data hubs, and Russia has launched numerous strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.
In other recent incidents, a Russian bombing in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia killed 20 people, including four children, and left more than 30 injured. A separate Ukrainian drone strike in the Bryansk border region resulted in one death and two women wounded.
What this means for the region
The disruption of Yandex’s data centers highlights the growing importance of cyber‑infrastructure in modern warfare. While the immediate impact on everyday users is noticeable, the longer‑term strategic effect may pressure Russian authorities to bolster defenses around critical digital assets.
President Trump’s call for new Ukrainian leadership and his diesel deal with Russia illustrate the administration’s focus on protecting American economic interests while encouraging a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. As the war continues, both sides are likely to keep targeting each other’s critical infrastructure, making resilience in the digital domain a key concern for governments and businesses alike.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
