Ukraine’s Strikes on Yandex Data Centers, Explained
Drone strikes on Yandex data centers are disrupting services from taxis to digital payments across Russia.
Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centers have led to a significant drop in automated online activity, sparking debates about whether the attacks disrupted Moscow's influence operations abroad. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that social media platforms became less hostile after the strikes, attributing the reduction in hate, division, and provocations to fewer Russian bots.
Yandex confirmed that operations at its Vladimir facility were suspended following a drone strike, with infrastructure damage causing instability in the platform. Analysis showed a 94% decrease in automated traffic originating from Yandex's network on Sunday compared to mid-September levels. Rumors of a sharp decline in online activity surrounding the far-right Alternative for Germany party emerged in Germany, while similar claims appeared in Britain regarding Reform UK.
In the United States, users reported fewer automated pro-conservative responses on X, despite no independently verified figures. The speculation, coming before the US midterm elections, has been fueled by political figures and commentators, with some asserting that Russia's data centers were the source of the issues.
Written by urgent.news from Euronews's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
- Ukrainian drones hit three of Russian tech giant Yandex’s data centers in four days. Ukraine’s president says the bots thinned out too euromaidanpress.com
- Did Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centres cause Russian bot activity to plummet? euronews.com
- Social media bots declined after Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centers – Zelenskyy english.nv.ua
- Hit more Russian data centres, says Lithuanian PM malaymail.com
