Ukraine Strikes Disrupt Russia’s Yandex Services
Ukrainian drone strikes targeting data centres operated by Russian technology giant Yandex have disrupted essential digital services across Russia, leaving some residents temporarily unable to access their money, book taxis or enter buildings using electronic security systems. The attacks, carried out between October 8 and 11, 2026, damaged three Yandex facilities and affected services used by millions of people.
Ukraine Drone Strikes Damage Yandex Data Centres
The attacks targeted Yandex facilities in Russia’s Ryazan, Kaluga and Vladimir regions, disrupting the company’s digital infrastructure.
Yandex, frequently compared to Google because of its extensive online services, provides search, payments, cloud storage, transportation and other digital platforms.
The company confirmed disruptions and said it was working to restore affected services. It also reported that no employees were injured in the attacks.
Russians Face Payment and Transport Disruptions
The outages affected Yandex Pay, preventing some customers from accessing their savings and completing everyday transactions.
Residents reported difficulties ordering food, booking taxis and retrieving documents stored through cloud services. Some apartment buildings also experienced problems with electronic access systems.
Taxi drivers in Moscow reported being unable to withdraw earnings or monitor payments through the company’s platform.
Although several services have gradually resumed operations, some users continued experiencing disruptions for several days.
Kremlin Responds to Ukraine’s Digital Infrastructure Attacks
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the difficulties facing Yandex but said discussions about financial compensation were premature.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has linked the strikes to earlier Russian attacks on Ukrainian data centres, describing them as retaliatory measures.
Reports also indicate that facilities associated with Sberbank and VK have faced attacks.
The disruption highlights the growing importance of digital infrastructure in the Russia-Ukraine war, as military strikes increasingly affect civilian payments, transport and communication services.
