Sber displays message of support for Yandex after data-centre disruption

Sber displayed a message wishing Yandex’s Alisa assistant a speedy recovery on its main office in Moscow on October 9, as Yandex worked to restore services affected by damage to its data centres.

A Sber representative confirmed the display to RBC. The message addressed Alisa, the company’s artificial-intelligence assistant, whose functions on smart speakers and other devices had suffered delays and interruptions. Yandex said restoration work was continuing around the clock.

The disruption followed damage to facilities in Sasovo and Kaluga. Yandex also said it had arranged accelerated hosting for Yandex Cloud data and services with Selectel, K2Cloud and VK Cloud. The arrangements included additional specialist teams, simpler connection procedures and flexible financial terms.

According to Yandex, a fire following a drone attack on October 8 halted operations at its data centre in Sasovo, in the Ryazan region. On the morning of October 9, the company reported damage to infrastructure in Kaluga. Users experienced interruptions in search and related applications. Alisa provides voice assistance on smart speakers, televisions running YaOS and mobile applications.