Ukrainian forces conducted drone strikes on Friday against an AI data center operated by Russian tech company Yandex in Kaluga, following a similar attack on another Yandex facility in Sasovo the previous day. These attacks damaged critical supercomputers used for developing AI models and disrupted services essential to many Russians. Moscow has previously targeted Ukrainian data centers, leading President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to assert that Ukraine will continue mirroring such actions against Russian technology infrastructure.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On October 8, Ukrainian drones attacked a major data center in the Ryazan region owned by Russian technology giant Yandex. The attack caused a fire, forcing the company to suspend operations at the facility. Located in Sasovo, the data center is crucial for Russia's AI development efforts and houses two of the three supercomputers used for developing Yandex’s AI models.
The previous day, another Ukrainian drone strike hit Yandex’s data center in the Kaluga region southwest of Moscow, partially disabling it. Both attacks aimed to disrupt Russia’s technological infrastructure as part of Ukraine's escalating military campaign against Russian targets. While Yandex said its core consumer services were unaffected, customers using Yandex Cloud were advised to switch to other operational zones due to electricity supply issues.
These strikes represent the first confirmed major Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian data centers, following a series of Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure in recent weeks. Ukraine has also claimed an attack on a major oil refinery in Russia, though this could not be independently verified.
Written for “Ukraine Drone Attack On Russian Data …” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Ukrainian drone strikes have partly disabled an AI data centre operated by Russian digital giant Yandex.
asserted
strikes → disable → Yandex
The strike on Friday followed an attack on another of the company’s data hubs the previous day, appearing to signal that Ukraine’s military campaign is widening its scope to target Russia’s technology infrastructure.
asserted
campaign → follow → infrastructure
Moscow has previously targeted data hubs inside Ukraine.
asserted
Moscow → target → Ukraine
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Yandex, which is heavily involved in Russia’s AI development efforts, said its data centre in the Kaluga region southwest of Moscow had been struck by Ukrainian drones and partly put out of action.
A day earlier, a Ukrainian attack shut down a major data hub in Sasovo in the Ryazan region, where two of the three supercomputers used to develop the company’s AI models are housed.
asserted
two → say → models
Yandex, which operates under close government observation, said the attacks had struck at the core of its operations and that it was trying to maintain its services.
“Our teams are working day and night to keep services running and help those affected by the incident.
asserted
services → operate → incident
Right now this is our most important task, but unfortunately it is not an easy one,” it said in a statement.
asserted
it → say → statement
The company operates numerous apps that many Russians consider essential, as well as social media networks.
asserted
Russians → operate → apps
Russia has struck several Ukrainian data centres and telecommunications infrastructure facilities over the past month, including targets in central Kyiv.
asserted
Russia → strike → Kyiv
Damage from the attacks has forced some services to suspend operations.
asserted
Damage → force → operations
Roughly 100,000 households suffered temporary internet outages after an attack.
asserted
households → suffer → attack
“We always respond in mirror-like fashion,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday, following the Ryazan strike.
asserted
Zelenskyy → respond → strike
“You all know, they have been hitting and continue to hit our data centres.
asserted
they → know → centres
We are responding.
asserted
We → respond → ?
I can’t share all the details.”
asserted
I → share → details
Missiles and energy
Kyiv also continues its campaign targeting Russia’s missile production and energy infrastructure, hoping to reduce the air strikes against which it has struggled to defend, as well as to hurt Moscow’s economic ability to wage war.
asserted
it → continue → war
Ukraine’s military said it had hit three facilities involved in missile production across Russia overnight, including a factory in the Tver region making missile components and a centre for disassembling intercontinental ballistic missiles in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
asserted
it → say → region
In a statement on Telegram, the General Staff said the Russian facility for the “liquidation of intercontinental ballistic missiles” was hit to degrade Russia’s ability to source explosives and rocket fuel.
asserted
facility → say → explosives
Nizhny Novgorod’s governor said that one serviceman was killed repelling the attack while drone debris caused “minimal” damage to infrastructure.
asserted
debris → say → infrastructure
A drone attack sparked a fire at a plant in Redkino in the Tver region, but it was quickly extinguished, the local governor said.
asserted
governor → spark → region
The Ukhta oil refinery belonging to the state giant Lukoil, 1,900km (1,180 miles) from the Ukrainian border, was also struck, according to Zelenskyy.
uncertain
refinery → belong → Zelenskyy
Meanwhile, Russia’s air campaign has continued to hit civilians, despite the Kremlin’s insistence that it only attacks military targets.
asserted
it → continue → targets
Overnight strikes killed one and injured seven in the city of Zaporizhzhia, regional defence official Ivan Fedorov said on the Telegram messaging app.
asserted
Fedorov → kill → app
Russia also struck a cargo vessel in Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Mykolaiv, the Ministry of Defence in Moscow said, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.
uncertain
Ministry → strike → Novosti
The ministry said the vessel was being used to supply the Ukrainian military.
asserted
vessel → say → military
The Aporia
