Ukrainian Drone Strike Destroys Russian Yandex AI Data Center
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According to an Ars Technica report citing Reuters (October 10, 2026), a Ukrainian drone strike destroyed an AI data center belonging to Yandex, known as "Russia's Google." Other Russian services affected by the attack include a dating app, a real estate aggregator, a self-publishing book platform, and the website of a Russian Premier League football club. The report also notes that data centers are increasingly becoming targets of war in 2026, citing a similar earlier incident: after the US and Israel struck Iran in February, Iranian drones destroyed multiple Amazon data centers in Bahrain and the UAE. The report does not mention casualties, financial losses, or a rebuilding timeline. A previous version of this event summary was titled "Ukrainian drones destroy VK's AI data center"; the latest report says Yandex, not VK, was involved. The two accounts conflict, and the latest Yandex report prevails.
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- Ars Technica · AIUkraine’s drones knock out AI data center belonging to "Russia’s Google"
A Ukrainian drone strike destroyed an AI data center belonging to Yandex, known as "Russia's Google"; per Reuters, other affected Russian services include a dating app, a real estate aggregator, a self-publishing platform, and a Russian Premier League football club's website. The report notes data centers are becoming war targets in 2026, after Iranian drones destroyed multiple Amazon data centers in Bahrain and the UAE following the February US-Israel strikes on Iran.
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