Russian court orders Yandex to remove maps and photos of oil refinery due to Ukrainian drone threat

A Moscow court has ordered Yandex to remove images of an oil refinery from its mapping service, citing the risk of Ukrainian drone attacks, TASS reported, referencing court documents.

The ruling requires Yandex to “exclude access to information” about the refinery by “removing or retouching images of the facility’s components, including workshops, compressor stations, tank storage areas, and other elements, from the Yandex Maps platform.”

The lawsuit was filed by a “regulatory body,” which TASS did not identify but is likely the prosecutor’s office. An investigation by the agency reportedly found that detailed information about the refinery’s facilities was publicly accessible.

According to the filing, the refinery operates “uninterruptedly to support the Russian army and navy during the special military operation” and was targeted by Ukrainian drones four times in 2024, causing infrastructure damage and injuring employees.

The agency sought court intervention after direct negotiations with Yandex failed. The court ruled that public access to images of the refinery “undermines national defense capabilities” and “negatively impacts the timely delivery of materials” to the military. Yandex was also ordered to pay a state fee.

TASS noted that this is the first court decision requiring a Russia-based multinational IT company to remove public access to images and maps of a facility considered strategically critical to the defense industry.