Ukrainian drones have struck Russia’s largest data centre, owned by state-backed lender and technology company Sberbank, although the attack did not disrupt the bank’s systems or services, the company said on Wednesday.
Sberbank First Deputy Chief Executive Officer Alexander Vedyakhin confirmed the attack on the facility in Balakovo, in Russia’s Saratov region along the Volga River.
“We confirm that the data processing centre was attacked. At the same time, all of Sberbank’s systems and services are operating normally and without disruption,” Vedyakhin told reporters.
The incident marks the latest reported Ukrainian attack on Russian technology infrastructure, following three strikes on data centres owned by Russian technology group Yandex over the past week.
Ukraine has said its attacks on Russian data facilities are a response to Russian strikes on its own digital infrastructure.
Sberbank and Yandex are the country’s leading domestic developers of artificial intelligence models. Their products include Sberbank’s GigaChat and Yandex’s YandexGPT, which compete in Russia’s growing AI market.
Both companies have invested heavily in developing their AI capabilities but remain behind leading American and Chinese developers. Their progress has also been constrained by Western sanctions, which have complicated Russia’s access to advanced computing hardware.
The latest strike underscores the growing importance of digital infrastructure in the conflict, as both countries seek to disrupt capabilities that support their opponents’ economies and technology industries.
