(Reuters) -A Russian court has ordered internet company Yandex (NASDAQ:) to hide access to maps and photos of one of Russia’s largest oil refineries due to repeated attacks by Ukrainian drones, state news agency TASS reported Friday.
Yandex, also known as “Russian Google (NASDAQ:),” operates the country’s largest search engine and other online services such as maps, translations and email, as well as ride-hailing and food delivery.
The Moscow court ordered Yandex to exclude information about the refinery’s infrastructure from search results by removing and editing images of workshops, compressor stations and other parts of the plant from Yandex Maps, TASS reported.
It was not clear which refinery was affected by the court ruling, but TASS said the facility had been attacked four times by Ukrainian drones in 2024.
Ukraine has carried out numerous attacks on Russian oil storage facilities and refineries, in response to Moscow’s invasion in February 2022 and repeated attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
The court’s decision can be appealed. Yandex declined to comment.
The refinery had tried to resolve the issue directly with Yandex before taking the matter to court, TASS said. The plaintiff argued that the availability of information about the refinery online undermined Russia’s defense capabilities and had a negative impact on the armed forces.
