Ukrainian drone strikes hit Yandex, 'Russia's Google'

Recently, Ukrainian drone strikes have successfully knocked out two of the five data centers belonging to Yandex, one of Russia's leading tech companies known as 'Russia's Google'. This incident has left Yandex struggling to maintain its AI chatbot and other online services. The drone strikes took place in the Sasovo and Kaluga regions on October 8 and 9, marking an escalation in the technological conflict between the two nations.

## Why it matters Yandex's inability to operate its AI services could have significant repercussions not only in the Russian market but also in the availability of digital information and services for Russian users. This could create a void in access to information and competition in the local tech sector.

## What we know The attacks were a direct response to Russia's campaign against Ukraine, which has involved strikes on data centers and has disrupted mobile phone and Internet services in Ukraine since late September. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that these actions are part of a symmetrical response to Russian attacks.

## What remains unclear The total impact of these strikes on Yandex's services has yet to be confirmed, and the extent of the damage to the data centers has not been detailed. The company has not provided information on how it plans to recover its operations following these incidents.