Ukraine targets Yandex data centers to disrupt Russia's online economy

Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian energy and infrastructure targets after a three-day pause, with President Volodymyr Zelensky announcing the decision on Thursday. Ukrainian drones subsequently struck a refinery in Ryazan and targeted a Yandex data center in Vladimir, causing flight disruptions at Moscow and St. Petersburg airports. The attack on Yandex, Russia's dominant internet company, is the fourth on its infrastructure in recent weeks, following strikes on data centers in Sasovo and Kaluga. These facilities host Yandex's supercomputers, and the damage has disrupted everyday services like taxis, payments, and delivery across Russia, while also potentially setting back the country's AI development for years. Russia's online economy is highly centralized around Yandex, which is politically favored and holds vast user data, whereas Ukraine's more decentralized telecom market has proven more resilient. Russian officials have announced additional security measures for data centers in response to the strikes.