{
  "id": 13972191,
  "title": "Ukrainian drones hit three of Russian tech giant Yandex’s data centers in four days. Ukraine’s president says the bots thinned out too",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/ukrainian-drones-hit-three-of-russian-tech-giant-yandexs-data-centers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-12T14:08:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euromaidan Press",
    "slug": "euromaidan-press",
    "url": "https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/10/12/ukrainian-drones-hit-three-of-russian-tech-giant-yandexs-data-centers-in-four-days-ukraines-president-says-the-bots-thinned-out-too/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On 12 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Ukraine's drone strikes on Russian tech giant Yandex's data centers had thinned out social media bots, according to a speech he delivered via video link to the Warsaw Security Forum. Network data showed Yandex's automated traffic collapsing after the strikes, leading Ukraine's social media monitor to report that their own data did not show a clear drop in bot activity. The Ukrainian drone maker Fire Point confirmed that its FP-1 long-range drones carried out the strikes on Yandex's data centers in Sasovo, Ryazan Oblast, Kutaisi, Kaluga Oblast, and Vladimir Oblast. Despite the claim, it remains unproven and built on a misread chart, as disinformation analyst Joohn Choe concluded in a fact-check.",
  "summary": "Lithuania’s prime minister wants more such strikes to protect elections. Researchers say the bot data shows Yandex’s web crawlers, not trolls.",
  "key_points": [
    "Ukrainian drones targeted Yandex's data centers in four days",
    "Strikes thinned out social media bots, according to Zelenskyy",
    "Fire Point confirmed drone operations on Yandex's centers"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Hit more Russian data centres, says Lithuanian PM",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/hit-more-russian-data-centres-says-lithuanian-pm",
        "published": "2026-10-12T11:35:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "Did Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centres cause Russian bot activity to plummet?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/did-ukrainian-strikes-on-yandex-data-centres-cause-russian-bot",
        "published": "2026-10-12T12:31:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Voice of Ukraine",
        "title": "Social media bots declined after Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centers – Zelenskyy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/social-media-bots-declined-after-ukrainian-strikes-on-yandex-data",
        "published": "2026-10-12T13:51:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Moscow Times",
        "title": "Ukraine’s Strikes on Yandex Data Centers, Explained",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/ukraines-strikes-on-yandex-data-centers-explained",
        "published": "2026-10-12T13:56:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "‘Doesn't deserve respite': Russian FM on Zelensky's push for ceasefire to hold Ukraine elections",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/doesnt-deserve-respite-russian-fm-on-zelenskys-push-for-ceasefire-to",
        "published": "2026-10-12T15:01:25.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}