Ukrainian drones have hit Russia’s biggest data centre, which belongs to Sberbank, the country’s largest bank and technology company, Reuters reported on 14 October 2026. A senior Sberbank executive said the attack did not disrupt 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,” Sberbank First Deputy CEO Alexander Vedyakhin told reporters, according to Reuters.
Where it happened
Reuters reported that the strike was in the Saratov region on the Volga River.
Citing a 2024 report by Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti, Reuters said the centre that was hit is in Balakovo and covers 55,000 square metres. RIA Novosti had reported that it would host Russia’s biggest supercomputer, due to start operating in 2027.
Reuters said the site is next to the Balakovo nuclear power plant and the Saratov hydroelectric power plant.
Neither Sberbank nor Yandex has said whether any supercomputers were damaged in the attacks, Reuters reported.
Part of a wider pattern
Reuters said the strike followed three attacks in the past week on data centres owned by Russian tech group Yandex. Ukraine says it is responding to Russian attacks on its own data sites.
Sberbank and Yandex are Russia’s leading AI developers. Reuters noted that the Russian market is shared between Sberbank’s GigaChat model and YandexGPT.
What this means
- Data centres are becoming targets in the war. This is the fourth reported attack on a major Russian data centre in about a week.
- Sberbank says its services are unaffected. Its systems are running normally, the company says.
- The damage is unclear. Neither company has said whether its supercomputers were hit.
Sources
- Reuters, “Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s biggest data centre”, 14 October 2026 (reporting by Elena Fabrichnaya). https://d2233.cms.socastsrm.com/2026/10/14/ukrainian-drones-hit-russias-biggest-data-centre/
