Ukraine strikes Russian data centre again despite Trump warning

Russian tech giant Yandex has been forced to pause its operations at a data centre near Moscow after the facility was damaged in a Ukrainian drone strike – the third attack on Yandex sites this week.

Key points

• Sunday's attack came hours after US President Donald Trump cautioned that Ukraine should "damn well stop" attacking Russia's oil refineries.
• Afterwards on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that "any de-escalation steps must be reciprocal and backed by real guarantees."
• The other strikes against Yandex facilities were on Thursday in Sasovo and Friday in in Kaluga, south-west of Moscow, causing operations to be suspended.
• The State Emergency Service of Ukraine remarked six residents were injured in Russian attacks overnight on four districts in its south-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.
• On Saturday, at least 20 individuals including four children were killed in Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia, local office-holders confirmed.

Notably, the firm – dubbed "Russia's Google" – stated no one was injured at the centre in Vladimir, east of the capital, but some of its services were unavailable to users.

Earlier this week, Yandex remarked it was struggling to maintain its services after two of its five data centres were hit in Ukrainian strikes.

"Ukraine will be ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Russia stops striking our energy infrastructure, " Zelensky wrote on X.

He has reacted furiously to a new accord between the US and Russia. It will see millions of tonnes of Russian diesel issued into the US.

In response to the criticism, Trump remarked he thinks "it's time for Ukraine to get a new president".

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Both Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on infrastructure in recent months as the war between them continues into its fifth year after Russia's full-scale invasion.

Kyiv remarked it is targeting places that assist the revenue streams for Moscow's war machine, and that the latest attacks could force Russia to divert its resources to repair the damage at Yandex.

Writing on Telegram, the firm confirmed that its data centre in Vladimir was damaged and that operations had been "completely suspended, " although they were working to restore connectivity.

In practice, the other strikes against Yandex facilities were on Thursday in Sasovo and Friday in in Kaluga, south-west of Moscow, causing operations to be suspended.

For context, the tech firm – which additionally runs a food-ordering and taxi app applied by tens of millions of residents – stated its data centres were critical for the normal operation of its services, and that it was "very difficult to predict" when they would be back online. Meanwhile, Russian strikes on Ukraine have additionally continued through the weekend.

In practice, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine remarked six residents were injured in Russian attacks overnight on four districts in its south-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.

For now, ukraine strikes Russian data centre again despite Trump warning remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.