A Russian court has ordered Yandex to hide one of the oil refineries on maps.

A court in Russia has required the company 'Yandex' for the first time to restrict access to maps and photos of one of the largest oil refineries in the Russian Federation due to drone attacks. The prosecutor's office stated that 'information about strategically significant objects' is open, thus requiring a ban on accessing these photos and maps.

According to the court's decision, 'Yandex' must remove or alter images of the workshops, compressor stations, platforms with tanks, and other refinery objects on the 'Yandex Maps' service. This decision is considered the first judicial ruling that has compelled a Russian information technology company to conceal photographs and maps of a strategically important facility.

It is also noted in the statement that Ukrainian drones have attacked oil refining enterprises and their infrastructure at least 64 times in 2024.

These attacks have led to a reduction in oil product exports from Russia. Specifically, in April, Russia exported 24% less fuel oil than a year ago. Maritime oil exports also decreased by 20% compared to the previous year. Overall, the attacks by Ukrainian drones have become an effective tool for halting fuel supplies to Russian troops and reducing revenues to the Kremlin.

It is noted that Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries have a significantly greater impact than sanctions. Since October 2023, Ukraine has struck the mentioned refineries at least 20 times in an effort to halt fuel supplies to the Russian armed forces and to reduce Kremlin financing.

Furthermore, the Russian government has decided to classify data on the production of gasoline and diesel fuel amid Ukrainian attacks. The weekly report on the volume of oil product production lacks data on the production of gasoline and diesel fuel.