{"id":2191610,"date":"2026-10-12T12:31:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T09:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2191610"},"modified":"2026-10-12T12:31:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T09:31:09","slug":"did-ukrainian-strikes-on-yandex-data-centres-cause-russian-bot-activity-to-plummet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2191610","title":{"rendered":"Did Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centres cause Russian bot activity to plummet?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/87\/19\/1200x675_cmsv2_ef8256fd-9281-5e8f-ad1a-8c09bb5f2f7f-9948719.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2932957-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1\" data-nid=\"2932957\" data-cid=\"9948652\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932957-label-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/86\/52\/189x106_cmsv2_7d1677d2-455b-51f4-91b4-d07c9b8c17e3-9948652.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A general view of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Saudi Arabia<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    UAE urges Gulf defence cooperation after Riyadh airport attacks\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932993-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 the-media-object--has-video\" data-nid=\"2932993\" data-cid=\"9948878\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932993-label-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/88\/78\/189x106_cmsv2_e5097626-0ab6-50c7-9c40-381aaefe12aa-9948878.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Photo\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Video shows major fire ravaging 400-year-old Paris food market\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932962-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1\" data-nid=\"2932962\" data-cid=\"9948807\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932962-label-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/88\/07\/189x106_cmsv2_2b7e8145-74c9-541f-9ce9-7e51e3b62263-9948807.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Postcards of Pope Leo XIV are displayed outside a shop selling religious items near St. Peter&apos;s Square in Rome, 12 October, 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    What we know about Pope Leo XIV&#8217;s upcoming lung operation\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932989-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1\" data-nid=\"2932989\" data-cid=\"9948861\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932989-label-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/88\/61\/189x106_cmsv2_30dcf554-00ab-53d2-b6aa-2a28c33d5cfb-9948861.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pope Leo XIV delivers the Angelus prayer in St. Peter&apos;s Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Health news<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    What to know about Pope Leo XIV&#8217;s upcoming lung surgery\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932957-pos1-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2\" data-nid=\"2932957\" data-cid=\"9948652\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932957-label-pos1-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/86\/52\/189x106_cmsv2_7d1677d2-455b-51f4-91b4-d07c9b8c17e3-9948652.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A general view of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Saudi Arabia<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    UAE urges Gulf defence cooperation after Riyadh airport attacks\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932993-pos2-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 the-media-object--has-video\" data-nid=\"2932993\" data-cid=\"9948878\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932993-label-pos2-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/88\/78\/189x106_cmsv2_e5097626-0ab6-50c7-9c40-381aaefe12aa-9948878.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Photo\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Video shows major fire ravaging 400-year-old Paris food market\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932962-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2\" data-nid=\"2932962\" data-cid=\"9948807\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932962-label-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/88\/07\/189x106_cmsv2_2b7e8145-74c9-541f-9ce9-7e51e3b62263-9948807.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Postcards of Pope Leo XIV are displayed outside a shop selling religious items near St. Peter&apos;s Square in Rome, 12 October, 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    What we know about Pope Leo XIV&#8217;s upcoming lung operation\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932989-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2\" data-nid=\"2932989\" data-cid=\"9948861\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932989-label-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/88\/61\/189x106_cmsv2_30dcf554-00ab-53d2-b6aa-2a28c33d5cfb-9948861.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pope Leo XIV delivers the Angelus prayer in St. Peter&apos;s Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Health news<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    What to know about Pope Leo XIV&#8217;s upcoming lung surgery\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"helper-site-row o-article-newsy\">\n<div class=\"helper-site-container o-article-newsy__container\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__main\">\n<header class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__header\">\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs\">\n<div id=\"adb-article-breadcrumb\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs__list\">\n<p>                          Europe<\/p>\n<p>                          Europe News<\/p><\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<h1 class=\"c-article-redesign-title\">\n                            Did Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centres cause Russian bot activity to plummet?<\/h1>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-video u-position-relative \">\n<div class=\"js-superdiv u-aspect-ratio-16x9 u-position-relative \" data-controller=\"video-player\" data-sponsored=\"Partner content\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-poster-img c-article-media__img\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/87\/19\/1536x864_cmsv2_ef8256fd-9281-5e8f-ad1a-8c09bb5f2f7f-9948719.jpg\" width=\"1536\" height=\"864\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"A photograph of a hacker working at their laptop, 11 July, 2019\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-caption u-position-absolute\"><i id=\"article-caption-content\" class=\"c-article-caption__content\"><span class=\"c-article-caption__text\"><br \/>\n              A photograph of a hacker working at their laptop, 11 July, 2019<br \/>\n                    <span class=\"u-color-white\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__copyright\">Copyright\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__credit\">Unsplash\/Clint Patterson<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-copyright c-article-image-copyright--novideo\">\n      Copyright\u00a0Unsplash\/Clint Patterson\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__body u-article-content\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__contributors-publication-date\">\n<div class=\"c-article-contributors\">\n  By&amp;nbspSasha Vakulina\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-publication-date\" data-timestamp=\"1791808269\">\n         Published on<br \/>\n            <time datetime=\"2026-10-12 14:31:09 +02:00\">12\/10\/2026 &#8211; 14:31 GMT+2<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-share-comment-share\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Share<\/span><\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Comments<\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label c-article-share-comment__label--always\">Add Euronews on Google<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment-popup-overlay js-c-article-share-comment-popup-overlay u-display-none\">\n<div id=\"js-c-article-share-comment-popup\" class=\"c-article-share-comment-popup js-c-article-share-comment-popup\">\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment-popup__header u-display-flex\"><span>Share<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/icon-close.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"Close Button\" class=\"u-cursor-pointer 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width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"telegram\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Telegram<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-telegram.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"telegram\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-vk.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"vk\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>VK<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-vk.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"vk\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-bluesky.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"bluesky\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Bluesky<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-bluesky.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"bluesky\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-threads.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"threads\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Threads<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-threads.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"threads\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"u-display-flex u-gap-1 u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"whatsapp\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Whatsapp<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"whatsapp\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"c-article-summary\">\n        Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said social media had become less hostile following Kyiv&#8217;s strikes on Russian technology giant Yandex&#8217;s data centres, as web users report plummeting bot activity.<br \/>\n    <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-content js-article-content\">\n<p>Ukrainian strikes on Russian technology giant Yandex&#8217;s data centres have been followed by a dramatic decline in automated online activity, raising questions about whether the attacks may also have disrupted Moscow&#8217;s influence operations abroad.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The sudden drop fuelled speculation in Europe and the United States about just how much of the political debate on social media might have been driven by Russian bots.<\/p>\n<p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy weighed in on Monday, saying social media platforms had become noticeably less hostile.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When we started responding to Russia&#8217;s operation against our data centres and when our strikes reached Yandex data centres, it suddenly became a little easier to breathe on many social media platforms,&#8221; Zelenskyy said addressing the Warsaw Security Forum.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A lot of people, a lot of people noticed it, and there was less hate, less division and fewer provocations because there were fewer bots.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And it&#8217;s pretty clear where those bots were coming from,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If they disappeared when Yandex went offline, this proves again and again that Europe is not the source of the problems.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Europe is not the one making everything more difficult,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6665\">\n<div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n<div class=\"widget__contents\">\n<figure class=\"widget__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/87\/19\/808x539_cmsv2_29d23307-0137-55aa-90a1-e54d9d253897-9948719.jpg\" alt=\"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at the Warsaw Security Forum in Warsaw, 12 October, 2026\"><figcaption class=\"widget__caption\"><span class=\"widget__captionWrap\"><span class=\"widget__captionText\">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at the Warsaw Security Forum in Warsaw, 12 October, 2026<\/span><span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><strong>Three data centres targeted<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Three data centres operated by Yandex, often described as Russia&#8217;s equivalent of Google, were hit by Ukrainian drone strikes over the past few days.<\/p>\n<p>The facilities were located in Sasovo, in the Ryazan region, the Kaluga region, south-west of Moscow and the Vladimir region, east of the Russian capital, where the latest strike was reported on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>The attacks damaged the company&#8217;s infrastructure and disrupted services. Yandex confirmed that operations at its Vladimir facility had been suspended following a drone strike.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Following a drone attack, the infrastructure of the Vladimir data centre was damaged,&#8221; the company said in a statement published on Telegram.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Operations at the data centre have been completely suspended. The remaining infrastructure resources are unstable and the platform is down.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>According to an analysis of Cloudflare Radar data, automated traffic originating from Yandex&#8217;s network fell by approximately 94% on Sunday compared with its average levels in the second half of September.<\/p>\n<p>However, the figures also include legitimate automated traffic, such as search-engine crawlers, and do not establish whether Kremlin-linked social media bots were affected.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Political repercussions across Europe and the US<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In Germany, claims of a sharp decline in online activity surrounding the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) circulated widely following the attacks, although no independently verified figures have emerged.<\/p>\n<p>Czech MEP Tom\u00e1\u0161 Zdechovsk\u00fd questioned the apparent coincidence between the disruption and the reported decline in activity around the party.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If confirmed, this is telling: Russian data centres get hit, and online activity around AfD suddenly plummets,&#8221; he wrote on X.<\/p>\n<p>Similar claims emerged in Britain, where online activity associated with Reform UK was also reported to have declined following the attacks.<\/p>\n<p>In the United States, social media users reported fewer apparently automated pro-conservative responses on X, the platform owned by Elon Musk.<\/p>\n<p>The speculation has attracted attention from prominent political figures and commentators, including Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist and supporter of Donald Trump, Russian opposition figure and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, and Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia.<\/p>\n<p>The debate comes just weeks before the US congressional midterm elections in early November, amid longstanding concerns about foreign interference and the influence of automated accounts on political discourse.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                                  Go to accessibility shortcuts<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-share-comment-share\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Share<\/span><\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Comments<\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label c-article-share-comment__label--always\">Add Euronews on Google<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-you-might-also-like\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-article-you-might-also-like\">\n<h2 class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__title\">\n        Read more<br \/>\n      <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  Zelenskyy says Russia ignored Trump&#8217;s &#8216;energy ceasefire&#8217; and kept attacking Ukraine<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  &#8216;Energy ceasefire&#8217;: Confusion in Kyiv, support from allies, silence from Moscow and fresh strikes<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  Russia strikes power plants in Ukraine despite &#8216;energy ceasefire&#8217; announced by Trump<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"perf-cv-auto\">\n<ul id=\"adb-article-tags\" class=\"c-tags-list\">\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Ukraine<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  War in Ukraine<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tp-vuukle\">\n<div class=\"c-vuukle-skeleton\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"c-vuukle-skeleton__header\"><span class=\"c-vuukle-skeleton__title\">Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"o-article-newsy__aside\">\n<div class=\"c-ad-wrapper o-article-newsy__aside__content-1\" data-ad-name=\"adzone-halfpage\">\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad-halfpage u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-top-stories\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-top-stories\">\n<h2 class=\"c-top-stories__title\">Top stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-top-stories__item\">\n<article id=\"abe-2932910-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2932910\" data-cid=\"9948345\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932910-label-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/83\/45\/320x180_cmsv2_30807b65-c0a1-5233-b92a-ac3d3047dfa0-9948345.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A residential building burns following a Russian air attack in Kharkiv, 12 October, 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Zelenskyy says Russia has already violated Trump&#8217;s &#8216;energy ceasefire&#8217;<br \/>\n  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class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/88\/07\/320x180_cmsv2_2b7e8145-74c9-541f-9ce9-7e51e3b62263-9948807.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Postcards of Pope Leo XIV are displayed outside a shop selling religious items near St. Peter&apos;s Square in Rome, 12 October, 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    What we know about Pope Leo XIV&#8217;s upcoming lung operation<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"perf-cv-auto c-ad-wrapper o-article-newsy__aside__content-2\" data-ad-name=\"adzone-halfpage\">\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad-halfpage u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"perf-cv-auto c-most-viewed\">\n<h2 class=\"c-most-viewed__title qa-section-title\">Most read<\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-most-viewed__list\">\n<div class=\"c-most-viewed__item\"><span class=\"c-most-viewed__item__number\">1<\/span><\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2932641-pos1-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 the-media-object--has-video the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2932641\" data-cid=\"9947423\" 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src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932910-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2932910\" data-cid=\"9948345\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932910-label-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/83\/45\/320x180_cmsv2_30807b65-c0a1-5233-b92a-ac3d3047dfa0-9948345.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A residential building burns following a Russian air attack in Kharkiv, 12 October, 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Zelenskyy says Russia has already violated Trump&#8217;s &#8216;energy ceasefire&#8217;<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932922-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 the-media-object--has-video the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2932922\" data-cid=\"9948430\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932922-label-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/84\/30\/320x180_cmsv2_95cdb947-ac08-5351-ac23-2438a4e99e91-9948430.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A fire at the March\u00e9 Couvert des Enfants Rouges in Paris, 12 October, 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Fire totally destroys oldest covered food market in Paris<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932900-pos4-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2932900\" data-cid=\"9948287\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932900-label-pos4-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/82\/87\/320x180_cmsv2_45f2e5bf-bcd4-59f5-bf69-58fa3f918189-9948287.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"High Representative Kaja Kallas in Luxembourg.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    EU decries Trump-Putin diesel deal, insists sanctions will continue<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932957-pos5-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2932957\" data-cid=\"9948652\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932957-label-pos5-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/86\/52\/320x180_cmsv2_7d1677d2-455b-51f4-91b4-d07c9b8c17e3-9948652.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A general view of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    UAE urges Gulf defence cooperation after Riyadh airport attacks<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932962-pos6-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2932962\" data-cid=\"9948807\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2932962-label-pos6-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/88\/07\/320x180_cmsv2_2b7e8145-74c9-541f-9ce9-7e51e3b62263-9948807.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Postcards of Pope Leo XIV are displayed outside a shop selling religious items near St. Peter&apos;s Square in Rome, 12 October, 2026\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    What we know about Pope Leo XIV&#8217;s upcoming lung operation<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932641-pos1-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 the-media-object--has-video the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2932641\" data-cid=\"9947423\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Trump says it is time for Ukraine to replace Zelenskyy as leader<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932047-pos2-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2932047\" data-cid=\"9944548\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Europe\u2019s best Christmas markets to visit this festive season<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932311-pos3-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2932311\" data-cid=\"9945881\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    An El Ni\u00f1o timeline: When will it peak and will it go into 2027?<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932702-pos4-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 the-media-object--has-video the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2932702\" data-cid=\"9947587\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Protesters take to the streets in Portugal over rising living costs<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2932368-pos5-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2932368\" data-cid=\"9946207\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    As Russia escalates, EU realises its Ukraine support won&#8217;t be enough<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"articleBody\" data-key=\"articleBody\">Ukrainian strikes on Russian technology giant Yandex&#8217;s data centres have been followed by a dramatic decline in automated online activity, raising questions about whether the attacks may also have disrupted Moscow&#8217;s influence operations abroad.The sudden drop fuelled speculation in Europe and the United States about just how much of the political debate on social media might have been driven by Russian bots.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy weighed in on Monday, saying social media platforms had become noticeably less hostile.&#8221;When we started responding to Russia&#8217;s operation against our data centres and when our strikes reached Yandex data centres, it suddenly became a little easier to breathe on many social media platforms,&#8221; Zelenskyy said addressing the Warsaw Security Forum.&#8221;A lot of people, a lot of people noticed it, and there was less hate, less division and fewer provocations because there were fewer bots.&#8221;&#8221;And it&#8217;s pretty clear where those bots were coming from,&#8221; he added.&#8221;If they disappeared when Yandex went offline, this proves again and again that Europe is not the source of the problems.&#8221;&#8221;Europe is not the one making everything more difficult,&#8221; he said.Three data centres targetedThree data centres operated by Yandex, often described as Russia&#8217;s equivalent of Google, were hit by Ukrainian drone strikes over the past few days.The facilities were located in Sasovo, in the Ryazan region, the Kaluga region, south-west of Moscow and the Vladimir region, east of the Russian capital, where the latest strike was reported on Sunday.The attacks damaged the company&#8217;s infrastructure and disrupted services. Yandex confirmed that operations at its Vladimir facility had been suspended following a drone strike.&#8221;Following a drone attack, the infrastructure of the Vladimir data centre was damaged,&#8221; the company said in a statement published on Telegram.&#8221;Operations at the data centre have been completely suspended. The remaining infrastructure resources are unstable and the platform is down.&#8221;According to an analysis of Cloudflare Radar data, automated traffic originating from Yandex&#8217;s network fell by approximately 94% on Sunday compared with its average levels in the second half of September.However, the figures also include legitimate automated traffic, such as search-engine crawlers, and do not establish whether Kremlin-linked social media bots were affected.Political repercussions across Europe and the USIn Germany, claims of a sharp decline in online activity surrounding the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) circulated widely following the attacks, although no independently verified figures have emerged.Czech MEP Tom\u00e1\u0161 Zdechovsk\u00fd questioned the apparent coincidence between the disruption and the reported decline in activity around the party.&#8221;If confirmed, this is telling: Russian data centres get hit, and online activity around AfD suddenly plummets,&#8221; he wrote on X.Similar claims emerged in Britain, where online activity associated with Reform UK was also reported to have declined following the attacks.In the United States, social media users reported fewer apparently automated pro-conservative responses on X, the platform owned by Elon Musk.The speculation has attracted attention from prominent political figures and commentators, including Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist and supporter of Donald Trump, Russian opposition figure and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, and Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia.The debate comes just weeks before the US congressional midterm elections in early November, amid longstanding concerns about foreign interference and the influence of automated accounts on political discourse.<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2026\/10\/12\/did-ukrainian-strikes-on-yandex-data-centres-cause-russian-bot-activity-to-plummet&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/94\/87\/19\/1200x675_cmsv2_ef8256fd-9281-5e8f-ad1a-8c09bb5f2f7f-9948719.jpg&#8221;] Saudi Arabia UAE urges Gulf defence cooperation after Riyadh airport attacks Europe News Video shows major fire ravaging 400-year-old Paris food market Europe News What we know about Pope Leo XIV&#8217;s upcoming lung operation Health news What to know about Pope Leo XIV&#8217;s upcoming lung surgery Saudi Arabia UAE urges Gulf defence [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[90],"tags":[226,36],"class_list":["post-2191610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international","tag-crawlmanager","tag-euronews-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2191610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2191610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2191610\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2191610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2191610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2191610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}