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.

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1. 1h ago

   Ukrainian Drone Strikes Cripple Yandex Data Centers

   Ukrainian drone strikes have damaged three Yandex data centers, plunging Russia's internet into crisis. Attacks occurred on October 8 in Sasovo, October 9 in Kaluga, and October 11 in the Vladimir region. The damage to these hubs, including an AI data center, has disrupted services and created a recovery timeline expected to take months. While President Zelenskyy claims the strikes silenced pro-Kremlin social media bots, tech experts question this evidence. The Kremlin has confirmed that the government is currently discussing the problems facing Yandex following these infrastructure losses.

   Why it matters

   Yandex is often described as Russia's equivalent to Google. These strikes represent an escalation in infrastructure warfare, with some reports indicating they were a response to Russian strikes on data centers in Kyiv.

   What is confirmed

   • Ukrainian drones struck Yandex data centers on October 8 in Sasovo, October 9 in Kaluga, and October 11 in the Vladimir region.
   • Yandex reported that a data center in the Vladimir area was shut down following a drone attack.
   • The strikes targeted an AI data center belonging to Yandex.
   • The Kremlin is discussing the problems Yandex is facing after the attacks.
   • Meduza reports that full recovery of the affected internet infrastructure will likely take months.

   Still unconfirmed

   • President Zelenskyy claims the strikes crippled pro-Kremlin social media bots.
   • Russian bot traffic was nearly eliminated overnight following the strikes.
   • The strikes occurred despite a warning from Donald Trump.

   What to watch next

   • Technical evidence confirming or refuting the collapse of Russian bot traffic
   • Official Russian government statements on the recovery timeline for Yandex services
   Sources used for this update (28)

   1. Reuters — Russia's Yandex says second data centre hit by drone attack
   2. Ars Technica — Ukraine’s drones knock out AI data center belonging to "Russia’s Google"
   3. Reuters — Russia's Yandex says data centre in Vladimir area shut down after drone attack
   4. Bloomberg.com — Ukraine Hits Third Russian Yandex Data Hub, Disrupting Services
   5. BBC — Yandex: Ukraine strikes Russian data centre again despite Trump warning
   6. Euronews.com — Ukrainian strikes on data centres and Russian bot activity in freefall
   7. Ars Technica — Russia was not ready for the data center war it started with Ukraine
   8. fox56.com — A small bit of good news from the war: Russian bot traffic takes a hit
   9. Mashable — Did Ukraine’s strikes on data centers really silence Russian bots?
   10. 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.
   11. Gizmodo — Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Claims Strikes on Russian Data Centers Silenced Social Media Bots
   12. The Independent — People are saying something huge just happened on social media. It’s not quite true
   confidence 90%