Ukrainian drone strikes on Yandex data centers disrupt Russian courts

Ukrainian drone strikes on Yandex data centers clearly disrupt Russian administrative functions and court proceedings, according to the independent media outlet Verstka. These disruptions began on Oct. 8 after Ukrainian forces struck a large Yandex data center in Sasovo, Ryazan Oblast. PravoTech, the company maintaining Russia’s electronic arbitration court system, reported a major outage at a Yandex Cloud data center following the strike. The disruptions affected courts in Sverdlovsk, Smolensk, Tula, Kostroma, Ivanovo, and Yaroslavl oblasts. The Moscow Times reported that courts in those regions could not hold online hearings, record audio or video, or access documents through the electronic court system. This digital warfare follows a Russian strike on Sept. 23 that damaged a Kyiv data center and disrupted internet access for 100,000 households. Between Oct. 8 and 18, Ukraine struck three Yandex data centers, a Sberbank facility under construction, and a data center operated by VK. Ukrainian forces destroyed another data center in Donetsk Oblast on Oct. 20.

Ukrainian military and energy status

Ukrainian special forces killed 108 Russian soldiers and captured 29 others during a seven-week operation in Sumy Oblast, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR). The operation was carried out by Group 10 special forces, which cleared 600 hectares of forest and prevented Russian troops from cutting Ukrainian logistical routes in the region. This unit also struck more than 1,100 Russian targets. In northern Donetsk Oblast, the 3rd Army Corps reclaimed 176 square kilometers during Operation Vivaldi, which inflicted more than 2,000 Russian casualties and resulted in the capture of over 250 soldiers.

On Oct. 20, Russian drone strikes in Kyiv damaged a hospital in Solomyanskyi District and another medical facility in Holosiivskyi District. Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said the strike hit the operating room of the Strazheska Institute of the National Academy of Medical Sciences and injured one patient. Last year the attack hit the fourth floor. In Holosiivskyi, debris from a drone damaged a medical facility and hit commuter traffic, which killed three people and injured four others. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported debris fell on railway tracks in Solomyanskyi District, though it did not lead to a fire.

On Oct. 20, the state-owned electricity operator Ukrenergo reported power outages in twelve different oblasts including Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Lviv, Odesa, Rivne, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv after Russian forces launched multiple assaults on energy infrastructure. This follows a strike on Oct. 19 where President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia used 16 ballistic missiles and over 200 drones to hit 28 electrical substations and other critical energy facilities. Artem Nekrasov said Russian strikes hit energy facilities in several oblasts, including Kirovohrad and Lviv.

Infrastructure damage and missile shortages

A fire broke out at an oil pumping station near Michurinsk in Tambov Oblast after a Ukrainian drone attack on Oct. 20, according to governor Yevgeny Pervyshov. The fire occurred at an enterprise in Michurinsky District. Monitoring channels suggest the target was the Nikolskoye-1 linear production and dispatch station. This facility, which Transneft operates as part of the Druzhba oil pipeline network, sits 350 to 400 kilometers from the Ukrainian frontline. A previous attack on this station occurred on Aug. 18, 2025, which Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, head of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said halted the operation of the Russian Druzhba oil pipeline. The Druzhba pipeline supplies Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia under an exemption from European Union sanctions.

Poland lacks U.S.-made Patriot missiles to give to Ukraine, according to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. He called the shortage a "genuine problem." President Volodymyr Zelensky said the U.S. currently supplies just 12 Patriot interceptor missiles per month, which is approximately one-quarter of the number provided under the previous administration. He added that the American side approved the delivery of only some of them, but not the rest.