Yandex Cloud confirmed on Sunday that the company's Vladimir data center, located east of Moscow, is completely offline following a Ukrainian drone strike. The company stated in a Telegram post that the infrastructure was damaged but no personnel were injured. This incident marks the third hit on Yandex facilities in just four days, signaling a dramatic escalation in Kyiv's long-range campaign against deep Russian targets.
The disruption rippled well beyond Russia's borders. Russian independent outlet Astra reported that users in dozens of Russian cities, along with Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Armenia, lost access to Yandex's taxi booking and banking services. The company, often dubbed "Russia's Google," anchors the nation's digital economy with its search engine and artificial intelligence capabilities.
This surge in attacks follows a tense diplomatic week. President Donald Trump criticized Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, suggesting Ukraine needs a "new leader" to secure a deal. The comments followed a Friday agreement between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to purchase Russian diesel, a move aimed at curbing US fuel prices. Trump explicitly blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure for the price spike, a claim Ukrainian officials have rejected.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha pushed back against Trump's remarks on X, asserting that Zelenskyy retains the full support of the Ukrainian people. "Statements from abroad only confirm that he is doing his job well," Sybiha wrote. Meanwhile, the broader military context remains volatile. Ivan Fedorov, co-chair of the Zaporizhzhia regional defense council, confirmed that a Russian bombing in the southern city on Saturday killed 20 people, including four children, and injured over 30 others.
The next 48 hours will likely see further tit-for-tat strikes as both nations continue their long-range aerial engagements. Ukrainian forces are expected to maintain pressure on Russian energy and digital infrastructure, while Moscow continues to bomb population centers in southern Ukraine. The diplomatic friction over the US-Russia diesel deal adds another layer of complexity to the already fractured peace efforts.