3 Russian Data Centers Hit: Yandex Cloud Crashes, Urging Users to Switch to Backup Plans Amid Instability
Drone attacks on three Russian facilities have crippled Yandex Cloud, prompting the provider to advise customers to activate backup plans.
Key points
- Yandex shut down two data centers and degraded a third after drone strikes in October.
- Users report missing thumbnails, failed downloads, and HTTP errors on Yandex Disk.
- The company declared emergency mode and warned that technical support channels are unstable.
Yandex Cloud services are disrupted after drone attacks damaged three of its data centers in Russia, forcing the provider to shut down two facilities and partially disable a third.
The risk
According to BleepingComputer, the physical attacks targeted facilities in Sasovo, Kaluga, and Vladimir. The Sasovo site, hit on October 8, and the Vladimir site, attacked on October 11, stopped operating completely. The Kaluga facility, struck on October 9, has degraded operations. Yandex reported no injuries from these incidents, which are believed to have been carried out by Ukrainian forces aiming to cause operational disruptions.
Who is exposed
Customers using Yandex Disk reported inability to access files, with issues starting on October 8. One user noted missing thumbnails and an inability to download previously submitted files. Cyber Security News reported that this customer also encountered HTTP 302 redirects, HTTP 504 Gateway Timeout errors, and HTTP 500 errors. These errors indicate that stored content could not be retrieved through normal service requests, though it remains unclear if any data was permanently lost.
Cost and compliance
Businesses running services on Yandex Cloud face significant instability. According to the October 12 report cited by BleepingComputer, Yandex’s Console, API, IAM, Container Registry, databases, S3 storage, and Kubernetes were available with performance or availability issues. Compute, AI Studio, and security services were only partly available. Monium remained offline. Yandex described the remaining resource configuration as unstable and stated the platform is in emergency mode.
What should you do?
Yandex urged customers to use alternative infrastructure for disaster recovery because it cannot provide a reliable service-restoration timeline. The company warned that technical-supported communication channels may also be unstable. Engineers are working around the clock, but assessing the damaged equipment remains difficult, making immediate recovery uncertain for affected users and partners.
The background in plain language
Cloud providers rely on physical data centers to store data and run applications. When a single facility is damaged, services can fail if backups are not active elsewhere. Disaster recovery plans involve maintaining copies of critical data on separate systems or in different locations. Teams usually test these plans regularly to ensure they can switch to alternative infrastructure quickly. This ensures business continuity when primary hosting environments become unavailable due to physical damage or other disruptions.
Background: Disaster recovery plans
Build recovery plans around immutable backups, documented runbooks, and frequent chaos testing. Verify restoration speed, not just storage capacity. Isolate critical systems to limit blast radius. Practice recovery procedures regularly to ensure staff competence during high-pressure incidents.
Read the full guide: Disaster Recovery Plan Best Practices for Resilient Systems
What to do and how to stay safe: Yandex
- Verify if your organization relies on Yandex Cloud or Yandex Disk for critical operations.
- Activate alternative disaster recovery plans if you have them, as advised by the vendor.
- Monitor official status pages for updates, recognizing that technical support channels may be unstable.
- Check whether your data has been successfully replicated to other providers or regions.
Step-by-step guide: Difference Between Logging and Monitoring: Cloud Security Architecture
General security guidance from the Vector Tribune newsroom. It is not confirmed advice from the organisations named in this story.
Frequently asked questions
Which Yandex data centers were damaged by drone attacks?
The facilities in Sasovo, Kaluga, and Vladimir were damaged, with Sasovo and Vladimir shutting down completely.
Has Yandex confirmed if customer data was permanently lost?
No, Yandex has not addressed whether any customer data has been permanently lost in its status updates.
What services are currently unavailable or degraded?
Monium is offline, while Compute, AI Studio, and security services are partially available with performance issues.
