Ukraine’s Drone Strikes Hit Russia’s Digital Backbone, Disrupt Banking and Taxi Services, Threaten AI Dreams

Ukrainian drone strikes on major Russian data centres have disrupted banking, online shopping, taxi services and digital platforms, while raising concerns over Moscow’s ambitions to become a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI).

The attacks targeted three data centres belonging to Yandex, Russia’s leading technology company, along with facilities linked to Sberbank, the country’s largest bank, and VKontakte, its leading social media platform. Experts warn that repairing the damage could take months or even years.

The strikes began on October 8, when Ukrainian drones hit a Yandex facility in Sasovo, in the Ryazan region, housing two of the company’s three supercomputers. Further attacks targeted facilities in Kaluga and Vladimir. A Sberbank data centre in Balakovo was hit on October 14, followed by a VKontakte-linked facility in St Petersburg four days later.

The damage disrupted services used by millions of Russians, including digital payments, e-commerce, cloud storage and ride-hailing. Businesses and banks relying on Yandex’s cloud infrastructure also faced interruptions. Russia’s judicial system was reportedly affected, with some arbitration court proceedings postponed and database access disrupted.

Although Yandex restored most key cloud services by shifting operations to other domestic facilities, its AI research could face a longer setback. Its most powerful supercomputer, based in Sasovo, ranked 19th globally, according to the report.

Fires may have damaged expensive computing equipment and advanced chips. Replacing US-designed Nvidia A100 processors could prove difficult because of international sanctions and a global shortage of high-end chips, potentially widening Russia’s technological gap with the United States and China.

The strikes have also exposed the risks of Russia’s digital sovereignty policy, which requires data to be stored domestically, leaving critical services vulnerable when facilities are attacked.

Meanwhile, Russian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv killed one person and injured 22 overnight, damaging homes and transport infrastructure. The attacks came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in principle to resume US-brokered peace talks after November 10. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed the prospect of renewed negotiations.