As attacks on economic and digital infrastructure continue in the war between Russia and Ukraine, Yandex said its data center in the Kaluga region had sustained heavy damage. The company said some modules at the center were completely disabled by a drone attack.
Vladislav Shapsha, governor of the Kaluga region southwest of Moscow, said nine people were injured and infrastructure was damaged in an attack by drones belonging to Ukraine. Shapsha did not provide any further assessment of the attack on the Yandex data center.
Yandex said the damage had rendered parts of the facility unusable and that some services could experience disruptions. The incident in Kaluga was the second attack targeting a Yandex data center within two days.
The Ryazan center was also targeted
A day earlier, a drone belonging to Ukraine targeted another Yandex data center in the Ryazan region southeast of Moscow. Two of the three supercomputers the company uses to develop its artificial intelligence model are located at this center.
Yandex said the attacks had affected the core of its operations. The company said its teams were working around the clock to maintain services and assist those affected by the incident.
Zelenskyy called the attacks retaliation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks on Yandex centers were retaliation for Russia’s latest missile strikes on Ukrainian server facilities in Kyiv. Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Zelenskyy said they had responded to the attacks “symmetrically.”
Russia carried out attacks targeting data centers and telecommunications infrastructure in Ukraine over the past month, according to reports. These attacks included targets in central Kyiv.
Attacks also reported in Tver and Belgorod
A drone reportedly struck an experimental factory said to belong to a major chemical plant in the Tver region north of Moscow that produces liquid fuel used in Russia’s cruise missiles. Tver Governor Vitaly Korolyov confirmed an attack on an unidentified factory and said workers had been evacuated in advance.
In Russia’s southwestern Belgorod region, Ukrainian shelling reportedly struck a residential building, killing a married couple and injuring four people, including a 10-year-old child.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defense systems had intercepted 505 Ukrainian drones overnight. Reports also emerged on Friday morning that Ukraine had attacked a Lukoil refinery in the northern Komi Republic.
Russia and Ukraine have increased drone attacks this year against economic targets such as energy facilities, refineries, ports, ships carrying oil and grain, e-commerce warehouses and data centers.
