A recent court ruling in Russia has mandated the local tech giant Yandex to block access to maps and images of a significant oil refinery in response to Ukraine’s drone attacks on the facility. The court decision marks the first instance of requiring Yandex to restrict information about crucial defense industry sites from public view, as reported by the Russian state-owned news agency TASS.
Yandex, often dubbed as “Russia’s Google,” is known for operating the country’s largest search engine along with various internet services such as maps, email, ride-hailing, and e-commerce. The specific refinery in question was not explicitly named in the court documents, but reports from Russian independent media suggest that the address listed points to the state-controlled Rosneft oil refinery located in Ryazan.
Rosneft, a major supplier of materials to the Russian military involved in the conflict in Ukraine, has faced multiple attacks over the past year that resulted in damages to its infrastructure and injuries to employees. The lawsuit against Yandex was filed by an unidentified “regulatory agency” after discovering publicly accessible detailed information about the refinery’s facilities. Despite unsuccessful negotiations with Yandex, the agency sought legal intervention to ensure the removal or obscuring of maps and photos depicting various parts of the plant, including workshops and compressor stations.
The court ruled that maintaining public access to these images poses a threat to national defense capabilities and could impede the prompt delivery of materials to the military. Yandex has been instructed to comply with the order and pay a fee to the state, although the decision is subject to appeal. The tech company has not issued a public statement regarding the lawsuit and has not responded to requests for comment.
The issue of publicly accessible imagery of strategic military sites has been a concern for both Russia and Ukraine. In a similar incident in November, Ukraine accused Google of inadvertently revealing the locations of its military installations through an update to its online mapping service. Ukrainian officials emphasized the risks associated with such exposure, as it could potentially disclose the positioning of military equipment like air defense systems.
Google Ukraine clarified that the satellite images in question were obtained from publicly available sources and were captured over a year ago. The company asserted that it takes precautions to avoid publishing up-to-date images of conflict zones to prevent compromising military operations.
Overall, the court ruling against Yandex highlights the ongoing challenges faced by tech companies in balancing the transparency of information with national security interests in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. It remains to be seen how Yandex and other platforms will navigate similar issues in the future while upholding both public access and security concerns.