Moscpw, Oct 23:
Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian data centres have disrupted essential digital services and raised concerns about the impact on Russia’s ambitions to develop artificial intelligence, with experts warning that repairs could take months or longer.
The attacks this month targeted three data centres belonging to technology giant Yandex, as well as facilities associated with Sberbank and social media platform VKontakte. The strikes damaged critical computing infrastructure and affected cloud services used by individuals, businesses and government institutions.
Yandex, one of Russia’s largest technology companies, operates a search engine, ride-hailing platforms, online shopping services, payment applications and cloud storage. Disruptions following the attacks affected taxi bookings, online orders, banking services and access to personal data. Reports also indicated that interruptions to digital infrastructure affected the country’s judicial system, forcing some arbitration court hearings to be postponed.
The attacks on Yandex facilities in the Ryazan, Kaluga and Vladimir regions were reported over four days. A further strike targeted a Sberbank data centre in the Saratov region, while a facility serving VKontakte in St Petersburg was also hit.
Russia has invested heavily in data centres and supercomputers to support its artificial intelligence programmes. Yandex’s computing infrastructure includes powerful machines used to train AI models, and damage to high-end chips and other specialised equipment could delay research and development.
Experts said replacing advanced processors could prove particularly difficult because of global shortages and restrictions on technology supplies to Russia. The extent of the damage to individual facilities has not been fully disclosed.
The attacks have also exposed the vulnerability of concentrating essential digital services within a limited number of facilities. Russia’s policy of keeping data and computing infrastructure within its borders could make recovery more difficult if several major centres are disabled simultaneously.
Ukraine has itself suffered attacks on data centres and other critical infrastructure during the war. The latest strikes highlight how digital infrastructure has become an increasingly important target, with consequences extending beyond military operations to banking, commerce, public services and technological research.