Ukraine's drone strikes disrupt Russian digital services, threaten AI research
The attacks this month targeted three major data centres operated by technology company Yandex, one belonging to Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, and another serving social media platform VKontakte, according to reports.
Ukrainian drone attacks on several major Russian data centres have disrupted key digital services, including banking, online shopping, taxi bookings and cloud computing, raising concerns about the country's artificial intelligence (AI) development.
The attacks this month targeted three major data centres operated by technology company Yandex, one belonging to Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, and another serving social media platform VKontakte, according to reports.
The damage has caused widespread service interruptions across Russia, affecting businesses, ordinary users and even the judicial system. Some arbitration courts reportedly had to postpone hearings after losing access to databases.
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Experts warn that repairing the damaged facilities could take months or even years, potentially slowing Russia's efforts to compete with the United States and China in AI development.
Mikhail Klimarev, head of the Internet Protection Society, said the attacks could leave Russia significantly behind in the global AI race.
The strikes took place between 8 and 18 October. Ukrainian drones hit Yandex facilities in the Ryazan, Kaluga and Vladimir regions before targeting Sberbank's data centre in Balakovo and a facility serving VKontakte in St Petersburg.
Data centres contain large numbers of computer servers and rely on specialised power and cooling systems. Even relatively small explosives can cause extensive damage to the equipment.
The attacks followed Russian strikes on Ukrainian data centres, which disrupted internet services and television broadcasts.
Russia's policy of keeping data within its borders has also increased the vulnerability of its digital infrastructure. Unlike Ukraine, which stores critical information on servers in allied European countries, Russia requires much of its data to remain on domestic systems.
Nick Reiners, a senior geotechnology analyst at Eurasia Group, said Russia's vast territory and limited air defence resources made it difficult to protect all critical facilities.
The disruptions have affected everyday activities. Some users reported being unable to collect online orders, access personal data or book taxi rides through Yandex's services.
Taxi driver Pavel Belyavskiy said he had to cancel several trips because he could not contact passengers through the company's app.
Yandex said it restored most of its key cloud services within days by shifting operations to other data centres in Russia.
However, concerns remain over the impact on its AI research. The company operates three supercomputers used to develop AI models, including one at its Sasovo facility that ranked 19th globally.
Experts said fires caused by the attacks may have damaged expensive computer chips and other sensitive equipment.
Connor Martin, an expert with the Council on Foreign Relations, said the strikes would likely further delay Russia's AI development.
Replacing advanced US-designed Nvidia A100 chips could prove difficult because of global shortages and Western sanctions restricting technology supplies to Russia.
Klimarev warned that rebuilding the damaged facilities could be expensive and time-consuming, adding that it remained uncertain whether all the equipment could be replaced within a year.
