Ukraine strikes Russian data centre again despite Trump warning
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Hafsa Khalil
Reuters
Yandex's data centres have been targeted three times this week - like this one in Sasovo on Thursday
Russian tech giant Yandex has been forced to pause its operations at a data centre near Moscow after the facility was damaged in a Ukrainian drone strike - the third attack on Yandex sites this week.
The company - dubbed "Russia's Google" - said no one was injured at the centre in Vladimir, east of the capital, but some of its services were unavailable to users.
Earlier this week, Yandex said it was struggling to maintain its services after two of its five data centres were hit in Ukrainian strikes.
Sunday's attack came hours after US President Donald Trump warned that Ukraine should "damn well stop" attacking Russia's oil refineries.
Later on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "any de-escalation steps must be reciprocal and backed by real guarantees."
"Ukraine will be ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Russia stops striking our energy infrastructure," Zelensky wrote on X.
He has reacted furiously to a new deal between the US and Russia, which will see millions of tonnes of Russian diesel released into the US.
In response to the criticism, Trump said he thinks "it's time for Ukraine to get a new president".
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Both Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on infrastructure in recent months as the war between them continues into its fifth year following Russia's full-scale invasion.
Kyiv said it is targeting places that help the revenue streams for Moscow's war machine, and that the latest attacks could force Russia to divert its resources to repair the damage at Yandex.
Writing on Telegram, the company confirmed that its data centre in Vladimir was damaged and that operations had been "completely suspended," although they were working to restore connectivity.
The other strikes against Yandex facilities were on Thursday in Sasovo and Friday in in Kaluga, south-west of Moscow, causing operations to be suspended.
The tech company - which also runs a food-ordering and taxi app used by tens of millions of people - said its data centres were critical for the normal operation of its services, and that it was "very difficult to predict" when they would be back online.
Meanwhile, Russian strikes on Ukraine have also continued through the weekend.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said six people were injured in Russian attacks overnight on four districts in its south-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.
On Saturday, at least 20 people including four children were killed in Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia, local officials confirmed.
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