Ukrainian forces struck and partly disabled a data center operated by Russia’s leading technology company Yandex on Friday, marking an expansion of Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign against Russian infrastructure. The attack targeted a facility in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, following a similar strike the previous day on Yandex’s major data hub in Sasovo, Ryazan region, which houses two of the company’s three supercomputers used for AI development.
Separately, Russian strikes killed two civilians and wounded five others across Ukraine on Friday, as Moscow continued its aerial assaults using jet-powered drones and guided bombs. In Zaporizhzhia, a man was killed and five people—including a child—were wounded in residential areas. In Ivano-Frankivsk, another civilian died, while three more were injured in Bucha district of the Kyiv region. Rescue efforts are ongoing after a strike left a woman possibly trapped under rubble.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband visited the site of a devastating Russian missile strike in Pryluky, Chernihiv region, where 22 civilians, including five children, were killed earlier this week. The visit underscored the humanitarian toll of the escalating attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Civilian Impact and Infrastructure Targets
The Russian aerial campaign has intensified in recent days, with jet-powered Shahed drones and guided bombs striking residential areas, playgrounds, and public transport. On Thursday, a guided bomb exploded near public buses in eastern Ukraine, killing 30 people. The near-constant daytime raids have strained Kyiv’s air defenses, which have struggled to counter the fast-moving drones.
In one incident captured on video, a man narrowly escaped a Shahed drone strike in Kyiv’s Bucha district after spotting the incoming drone and sprinting to safety. The drone struck a children’s playground, destroying it in a massive fireball. No casualties were reported, as nearby residents had reportedly taken shelter.
Ukraine’s Retaliatory Strikes and Strategic Goals
Ukraine’s drone strikes on Yandex’s data centers reflect a broader shift in its military strategy, targeting critical infrastructure to disrupt Russia’s technological and logistical capabilities. Yandex, often described as Russia’s equivalent of Google, confirmed that the attacks had struck at the core of its operations, with services such as navigation, music streaming, and e-commerce potentially disrupted.
"Data centers are the iron heart of Yandex. Their operation is critical for services that have become part of people’s everyday lives," the company stated. Ukraine has increasingly focused on high-value targets, including energy facilities, refineries, and now data hubs, as the war enters its fifth year.
Escalation and Humanitarian Concerns
The three-day surge in civilian casualties—with over 50 deaths reported—has raised concerns about the growing use of indiscriminate weapons in populated areas. Ukrainian officials have warned that Moscow’s tactics are likely to escalate further, while Russia has accused Ukraine of targeting civilian infrastructure in its own strikes, including a reported attack in Belgorod region that killed two and wounded 12.
The long-range aerial war continues alongside a largely deadlocked ground conflict, with both sides relying on drones and missiles to gain strategic advantages. International observers have expressed alarm over the civilian toll, as schools, playgrounds, and residential buildings bear the brunt of the bombardments.