30.12.2024
2 min
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On the night of October 18, Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s technology, logistics, and energy infrastructure. The targets included a VK data center, a major Ozon warehouse, and several oil facilities, while approximately 20,000 residents of the Leningrad region were left without electricity.
One of the targets of the large-scale attack was a data center operated by the Russian technology company VK, which owns the VKontakte social network and several other digital services. The facility is located in Novosergiyevka, Leningrad region, near St. Petersburg. Following the strike, users began reporting connection problems and disruptions to VK services. However, company representatives stated that all its platforms continued operating normally.
It remains unclear whether the reported disruptions were directly related to damage to the data center. According to Interesting Engineering, citing investigators from the independent Russian outlet ASTRA, an electrical substation located near the facility was also damaged during the attack. The damage may have affected the digital infrastructure, although this has not been confirmed.
Another target was a logistics center operated by Russian e-commerce company Ozon on Sofiyskaya Street in the Kolpinsky district of St. Petersburg. The company confirmed that a fire broke out at the facility following the attack. The site is one of Ozon’s largest logistics complexes in northwestern Russia.
In addition to technology and warehouse facilities, oil infrastructure in St. Petersburg was also targeted. According to city governor Alexander Beglov, the attack caused fires at the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and the Ruchyi oil depot. Meanwhile, electricity distribution infrastructure in the Leningrad region was damaged, leaving approximately 20,000 residents without power.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that its air defenses had shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight. This figure has not been independently verified. According to Russian state news agency TASS, the attack was the largest in the region in the past four years. Local authorities also reported at least one death and several injuries.
This is not the first time Russian technology infrastructure has been targeted by drones. Previously, Yandex was forced to completely shut down its data center in the Vladimir region following a similar attack. It was the third strike against the company’s facilities in four days. The data center’s infrastru
