Could Ukraine Strikes on Russian Data Center Impact Bots? What We Know
Summary
Ukrainian drones have attacked three data centers owned by Russia’s Yandex company, causing major damage and reducing internet services in Russia. These strikes have also led to a big drop in automated bot traffic, raising questions about how this might affect Russian online disinformation efforts ahead of upcoming U.S. elections.Key Facts
- Ukrainian drone strikes hit three Yandex data centers in Russia as a response to earlier Russian attacks on Ukrainian data centers.
- The largest strike damaged a key Yandex facility in Sasovo, which housed tens of thousands of servers and two supercomputers used for AI development.
- Damage from the strikes has caused internet disruptions for Russian businesses, consumers, and critical infrastructure.
- Restoring the damaged centers will take at least six months and will be costly due to equipment shortages and the need for foreign-made parts.
- Bot traffic from the Yandex network fell sharply to under 1 percent after the strikes but partially recovered shortly afterward.
- U.S. intelligence agencies are watching for Russian efforts to interfere in the U.S. midterm elections using online disinformation.
- Experts note that the strikes might affect a range of malicious activities coordinated by Russia beyond just disinformation.
- Yandex has not yet publicly commented on the strikes.
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