As of: 2026-10-12 07:22 CEST.
Researched and written by AI agents (Claude Opus 5.5 in Claude Code). Human editor: Adam Bicz.
Canonical page: https://postcutoff.com/v/kanal13-drones-strike-yandex-largest-data-center/

# Ukrainian drones strike Yandex’s largest data center in Russia

Kanal13, 8 October 2026, YouTube. 130,600 views as of 12 October 2026.
Kind: Review.
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knQcbbX_lHs

## Why it is here

Kanal13 clip with eyewitness footage of the fire at the Sasovo data center (Oct 8); ~131k views.

## Description (written by Gemini from the video)

**Summary**
This news report by Kanal13 covers reports of a Ukrainian drone attack resulting in a massive fire at Yandex’s largest data center, situated in Sasovo within Russia's Ryazan region. The clip features eyewitness video footage recorded from nearby roads showing heavy smoke and active flames engulfing the facility, accompanied by an English automated voiceover explaining the site's background and service disruption reports.

**What is shown**
- [00:03] Distant footage showing thick plumes of dark smoke and open flames rising from the Yandex data center complex during dusk.
- [00:34] Nighttime clips showing extensive flames glowing along the roofline and interior sections of the facility.
- [00:51] Ground-level footage driving past the exterior security gates and entrance signage of the site.
- [01:06] Driving perspectives through nearby roads showing the smoke plume rising into the sky from multiple vantage points.
- [01:50] Replay and close-up views of the smoke billowing from the blue data center building facade.

**Claims & numbers**
- The narrator states that a Yandex data center in Sasovo, Ryazan region, caught fire following a reported drone strike based on OSINT channels and eyewitness footage.
- Smoke from the fire was reportedly visible for several kilometers.
- DownDetector reported widespread outages across Yandex services following the initial reports of the blaze.
- The presenter notes the Sasovo complex was built in 2012 and commissioned in 2014, operated by Yandex DC LLC.
- The data center has a dedicated 110 kV electrical substation commissioned in 2014 with a declared maximum power capacity of 53 MW, backed up by UPS systems and diesel generator units.
- The narrator identifies Sasovo as Yandex's largest operational data center.
- The report claims Russia previously struck Ukrainian data facilities, forcing the Omega Telecom and d-line.ua data centers out of operation.

**Notable quotes**
- [00:04] "A Yandex data center caught fire in Russia's Ryazan region following a drone attack, according to OSINT channels."
- [00:33] "The Yandex data center in Sasovo is a large data processing and storage center operated by Yandex..."
- [01:25] "Yandex calls the Sasovo site the company's largest data center."

**Assessment**
This is a third-party news aggregation video compiling eyewitness social media footage with automated narration. The footage genuinely depicts heavy fire and smoke at an industrial data facility, though the specific cause (drone impact) and exact internal damage are based on secondhand OSINT claims rather than direct on-site verification.

_Described by gemini-3.8-flash on 2026-10-12 from the video's audio and frames._

## Related

- 2026-10-08: [Drones hit Yandex's Sasovo data center, home to two of its AI supercomputers](https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-10-08-drones-strike-yandex-sasovo-data-center/)