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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Aisha Down

Did Ukrainian strikes on Russian datacentres reduce online disinformation?

A crowd watches Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak on a large screen in dim blue lighting.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a large screen. Experts say the Ukrainian president may have overstated his case. Photograph: Attila Husejnow/AP

Over the weekend, Ukraine carried out at least three airstrikes on datacentres belonging to the Russian search engine company Yandex. Reports suggest at least two of these datacentres took significant damage, with Telegram footage appearing to show one on fire. Yandex acknowledged the strikes, and Russian media reported that several websites appeared affected by the downed datacentres.

On Monday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested the strikes had dampened Russia’s massive disinformation operation, saying: “It suddenly became a little easier to breathe on many social platforms. There was less hate, less division and fewer provocations.”

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