Drone strikes force Yandex to shut down multiple data centers, cloud services disrupted

Yandex, Russia's leading internet and cloud services provider, confirmed on Tuesday that a series of drone attacks damaged three of its data‑center facilities, prompting the company to completely shut down two sites and limit operations at a third. The incident left millions of users unable to reach files stored on Yandex Disk and other cloud‑based tools.

The company said the attacks caused structural damage to critical infrastructure at the three locations, making it unsafe to continue normal operations. Two of the centers were taken offline entirely while the third is operating at reduced capacity as engineers assess the extent of the harm and replace compromised hardware.

Customers reported immediate loss of access to documents, photos, and business applications hosted on Yandex's cloud platform. Small businesses that rely on the service for data backup and collaborative work cited potential financial repercussions, and some users expressed concern over the security of their personal information during the outage.

Yandex, which runs a suite of services ranging from search and email to mapping and e‑commerce, has invested heavily in building a network of data centers across Russia to meet growing demand for domestic cloud solutions. The recent attacks arrive amid a broader regional escalation of unmanned‑air‑vehicle incidents targeting critical infrastructure, raising questions about the resilience of digital services in conflict‑prone zones.

In a statement, Yandex pledged to restore full functionality as quickly as possible, emphasizing that data integrity remains intact despite the physical damage. The firm outlined a recovery plan that includes rerouting traffic to unaffected facilities, deploying backup generators, and working with authorities to investigate the source of the drone strikes. While no compensation details were disclosed, Yandex indicated that affected users would receive updates through its official channels.

Analysts note that the outage underscores the importance of diversified cloud strategies and robust disaster‑recovery protocols for enterprises operating in volatile environments. Regulators may also scrutinize the incident to evaluate whether existing security standards for data‑center locations are sufficient. For now, Yandex users are advised to monitor the company’s communications for restoration timelines and to consider temporary alternatives for critical workloads until normal service resumes.