Ukrainian strikes on data centres and Russian bot activity in freefall
Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Yandex data centres in Russia have knocked multiple facilities offline, leading to an immediate drop in Russian bot traffic online. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that there were fewer bots online following the strikes on three of Yandex data centres. The attacks disrupted daily life in Russia, affecting services like dating apps and food delivery. The sudden silence from bot accounts has also fuelled online speculation that these networks were amplifying far-right political content.
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- ✓ Russia's Yandex confirmed that a second data centre was hit by a drone attack.
- ✓ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated there were fewer bots online after Ukraine struck three of Yandex servers.
What changed
Ukrainian drone strikes crippled multiple Yandex data centres, causing Russian bot traffic to plummet.
Live updates
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes Hit Yandex Data Centres and Cut Russian Bot Activity
Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Yandex data centres in Russia have knocked multiple facilities offline, leading to an immediate drop in Russian bot traffic online. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that there were fewer bots online following the strikes on three of Yandex data centres. The attacks disrupted daily life in Russia, affecting services like dating apps and food delivery. The sudden silence from bot accounts has also fuelled online speculation that these networks were amplifying far-right political content.
Why it matters
Russia initiated a data centre conflict with Ukraine and previously targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure last winter to leave civilians without heating and electricity. In response, Kyiv has shifted focus in 2026 to disrupt Russian digital and daily infrastructure. The recent strikes on Yandex, often described as Russia's Google, demonstrate a new vector in the ongoing war.
What is confirmed
- Russia's Yandex confirmed that a second data centre was hit by a drone attack.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated there were fewer bots online after Ukraine struck three of Yandex servers.
Still unconfirmed
- Online speculation suggests the silenced Russian bots were responsible for activity favourable towards far-right political parties.
What to watch next
- Further assessments on the long-term operational status of the targeted Yandex data centres.
- Official responses from social media platforms regarding changes in bot activity levels.
confidence 90%Sources used for this update (14)
- Reuters — Russia's Yandex says second data centre hit by drone attack
- Ars Technica — Ukraine’s drones knock out AI data center belonging to "Russia’s Google"
- BBC — Yandex: Ukraine strikes Russian data centre again despite Trump warning
- Euronews.com — Ukrainian strikes on data centres and Russian bot activity in freefall
- The Independent — People are saying something huge just happened on social media. It’s not quite true
- Ars Technica — Russia was not ready for the data center war it started with Ukraine
- Yahoo — Russia's Yandex bot traffic nearly eliminated overnight after Ukraine drone strikes cripple multiple of 'Russia's Google' data centers
- fox56.com — A small bit of good news from the war: Russian bot traffic takes a hit
- www.snopes.com — Did Ukraine's strikes on Yandex servers take out Russian bots? What we know | Snopes.com
- www.euronews.com — French debt | Euronews
- www.lbc.co.uk — Ukrainian strikes on Russian data centres lead to dramatic ...
- www.yahoo.com — Russian bot traffic decimated overnight after Ukraine drone ...
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