Yandex services crash after strikes hit Russian data centers
Widespread outages hit tech giant Yandex across Russia and several foreign markets on Sunday following a strike against one of its regional data centers in the city of Vladimir.
The disruptions crippled ride-hailing services, stranded drivers, and cut off access to digital banking tools, independent outlets Ostorozhno Novosti and Astra reported.
Regional outages and stranded passengers
Ride-hailing users across major Russian hubs—including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Vladivostok, Krasnoyarsk, and Perm—reported being unable to book vehicles. Similar disruptions were documented in Serbia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Armenia, where Yandex is an established mobility provider.
In Rostov-on-Don, local dispatch networks ceased functioning entirely. Passengers were forced to hail passing cars from the roadside or resort to informal private transport.
“The app is down for taxi drivers, who cannot even log into their accounts, while those still connected face broken navigation,” said one driver.
The specialized Yandex Pro application used by taxi drivers and delivery couriers suffered a comprehensive failure. Internal customer support software also collapsed, leaving staff unable to file error tickets or field complaints.
Banking failures and repeated strikes
Payment outages on Yandex Pay left numerous clients unable to access digital funds or complete purchases. Linked merchant systems, including applications for retail chains Fix Price and Magnit, also experienced systemic failures.
Yandex representatives stated that technical teams are assessing infrastructure damage, noting that it remains difficult to estimate when data center equipment can be fully restored.
The incident marks the third attack targeting Yandex data infrastructure within a single week. A facility in Sasovo, Ryazan region, was struck on October 8, followed by a separate strike on a company data hub in Kaluga on October 9.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
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