Ukraine hits two Yandex data centres in Russia with drones, AI computing may be affected

The war between Russia and Ukraine shows no sign of ending and is now being fought on several fronts. Ukraine has already claimed to have attacked Russian oil depots. Both countries are also targeting each other's digital infrastructure.

Ukraine has now carried out drone strikes on data centres of Yandex, a leading Russian technology company. The attacks could affect the computers used to develop artificial intelligence (AI).

The first strike hit Yandex's data centre at Sasovo in the Ryazan region on Thursday, October 8. A fire broke out at the centre after the attack, and its operations had to be halted completely. The next day, Friday, October 9, a drone attack also hit Yandex's second data centre in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow. The company said some modules at the centre were shut down completely in the attack. It said the second attack damaged the data centre and some services could be disrupted.

The Sasovo data centre houses two of Yandex's three supercomputers. These advanced computers are used to build and train the company's AI models. The attack on this centre could therefore prove significant for Russia's AI sector.

The company is assessing how much damage the centre's equipment suffered. It is not yet clear whether the systems that were damaged can be restored. Some of Yandex's digital services were affected by the attacks.

In recent weeks Russia has attacked Ukraine's data centres and telecom infrastructure, hitting internet services and digital systems in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will respond to Russia's attacks.

The picture emerging is that both countries are now targeting energy projects, oil refineries, ports and digital centres. The attacks on two Yandex centres show the importance of technology in the conflict. However, how much damage was actually done to the AI systems, and what the long-term effect will be, is not yet clear.