In recent days, a Ukrainian drone strike hit Russia’s largest data center, owned by bank and technology company Sberbank. The strike came after Ukraine hit three data centers belonging to the tech giant Yandex, which is often referred to as “Russia’s Google.”
After those attacks, Yandex’s traffic dropped 94%. Its users experienced heavy disruption to features such as email, search, navigation, music, ride hailing, marketplace, and financial services.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strikes had made it “easier to breathe on many social media platforms,” by reducing Russian disinformation and bot activity.
Later reports have cast doubt on Zelensky’s claim. Either way, the incident highlights the role of physical communication infrastructure in the online world. It also raises questions over what “digital sovereignty” really means, and hints at a way to fight disinformation.
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