Ukrainian Drones Hit Russia’s Biggest Data Centre, Sberbank Says

Ukrainian drones have struck what has been described as Russia’s largest data centre, operated by state-owned banking and technology giant Sberbank, in the Saratov region, as Kyiv expands its campaign against Russian digital infrastructure.

The attack occurred overnight into Wednesday, October 14, 2026, in the Balakovo area along the Volga River. Sberbank confirmed that its data processing centre had been targeted but said the incident had not disrupted its operations.

“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,” Alexander Vedyakhin, the bank’s first deputy chief executive, told reporters, according to Reuters.

The extent of the physical damage remains unclear. Neither Sberbank nor its technology rival Yandex has confirmed whether supercomputers or other specialised equipment were damaged in the recent attacks.

The facility in Balakovo covers approximately 55,000 square metres. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported in 2024 that it was intended to house the country’s largest supercomputer, with operations scheduled to begin in 2027. The site is located near the Balakovo nuclear power plant and the Saratov hydroelectric power plant.

The strike follows a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on data centres operated by Yandex, one of Russia’s largest technology companies. Several facilities were hit in recent days, including sites in the Ryazan, Kaluga and Vladimir regions.

Yandex reported that the attack on its Vladimir facility forced operations to stop, while earlier strikes damaged infrastructure at other locations. The incidents reportedly disrupted several digital services, including applications used for transport, online shopping and other everyday activities.

Ukraine has said its attacks on Russian digital infrastructure are a response to Russian strikes against similar facilities in Ukraine. The conflict has increasingly extended beyond conventional military targets to include energy installations, telecommunications networks and technology infrastructure.

Sberbank and Yandex are major players in Russia’s artificial intelligence industry. Sberbank develops the GigaChat model, while Yandex operates YandexGPT and a wide range of online services. Damage to their computing infrastructure could therefore have implications beyond individual companies, particularly if further attacks disrupt cloud services or data processing capacity.

The attacks also highlight the growing vulnerability of large data centres during wartime. These facilities support financial transactions, business operations, artificial intelligence development and other digital services, making them strategically significant even when they are not conventional military installations.

Despite the latest strike, Sberbank has maintained that its systems remain operational. The full extent of the damage to the Balakovo facility, including any impact on equipment planned for future use, has yet to be established.