Ukraine Is Hitting Putin Where His Data Lives

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1. 2h ago

   Ukraine Drone Strikes Target Russian Data Centers and Yandex

   Ukrainian drone strikes have hit Russian data centers, including those belonging to tech giant Yandex, for two consecutive days. While President Volodymyr Zelensky credits these attacks with reducing the number of Russian bots on social media, other reports dispute this claim. Cloudflare data indicates that malicious bots did not disappear but instead moved during the Yandex outage. Meduza reports the strikes have caused a crisis for the Russian internet, with full recovery expected to take months. These operations occur as peace talks involving Kyiv, the U.S., and Europe begin in Miami.

   Why it matters

   The internet has become a new front line as both Russia and Ukraine target data centers to inflict economic pain. Yandex is often described as Russia's equivalent to Google, making it a high-value target for disrupting domestic digital infrastructure.

   What is confirmed

   • Ukraine conducted drone strikes against Yandex data centers for two consecutive days.
   • Meduza reports that damage to Russia's internet is extensive and recovery may take months.
   • President Volodymyr Zelensky attributed a reduction in social media bots to strikes on data centers.

   Still unconfirmed

   • Cloudflare data suggests malicious bots moved rather than going dark during the Yandex outage.
   • Mother Jones reports that drone strikes did not take out a Russian bot farm.

   What to watch next

   • Outcomes of the peace talks in Miami involving Kyiv, the U.S., and Europe
   • Technical evidence confirming whether bot activity decreased or migrated
   • Further Russian retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure
   Sources used for this update (20)

   1. www.yahoo.com — Yahoo
   2. The Independent — People are saying something huge just happened on social media. It’s not quite true
   3. Meduza — Ukrainian drone strikes have plunged Russia’s internet into crisis. Meduza explains why the damage has been so extensive, and why a full recovery will likely take months.
   4. BBC — Is Zelensky right to say data centre strikes have taken down Russian bots?
   5. Mother Jones — Drone Strikes Didn’t Take out a Russian Bot Farm, But We Were Primed to Believe It
   6. Cloudflare Blog — Yandex outage: Data shows that instead of going dark, malicious bots went on the move
   7. politico.eu — Why Ukrainian strikes on data centers are a real problem for Russia — and beyond
   8. The Bulwark — Ukraine Is Hitting Putin Where His Data Lives
   9. www.koreatimes.co.kr — Saudi Arabia strikes Yemen capital as Houthis vow to retaliate
   10. Popular Mechanics — Could a Missile Strike Give Us a World Without Toxic Internet Trolls?
   11. The New York Sun — Zelensky Credits Ukrainian Attacks on Data Centers With Reducing Bots on Social Media
   12. Meduza — Ukraine strikes Russian tech giant Yandex’s data centers for a second straight day as new peace talks involving Kyiv, the U.S., and Europe get underway in Miami
   confidence 80%