Ukraine Attacks Russia’s Largest Data Center With Drones

Ukraine has launched a drone attack on Russia’s largest data center. However, the facility’s owner, Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank and a major technology company, said the attack did not disrupt its operations.

On Wednesday, Alexander Vedyakhin, a senior Sberbank executive, told reporters that the data center had been targeted. He said all of the company’s systems and services were operating normally.

The attack took place in the Saratov region, on the banks of the Volga River. Earlier, three data centers owned by Russian technology company Yandex were attacked over the past week. Ukraine has said it is carrying out such strikes in retaliation for Russian attacks that damaged its own data centers.

Sberbank and Yandex are among Russia’s leading companies developing artificial intelligence technology. Sberbank’s GigaChat and Yandex’s YandexGPT models are competing in the Russian market.

Both companies have invested heavily in developing their own artificial intelligence models. However, they are reportedly about nine months behind leading companies in the United States and China. The report also noted that Western sanctions have made it difficult for Russia to obtain advanced technological components and hardware.

In 2024, Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti reported that the targeted data center, located in Balakovo in the Saratov region, covers an area of 55,000 square meters. Plans are underway to install Russia’s largest supercomputer at the facility, with operations expected to begin in 2027.

The data center is located near the Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant and the Saratov Hydroelectric Power Station.

However, neither Sberbank nor Yandex has provided information on whether the attack damaged the supercomputer.