A Russian court has ordered Yandex, the national technology giant, to block access to maps and images of a strategic oil refinery.
The question of protecting strategic infrastructure in times of war takes on a digital dimension in Russia. According to the TASS news agency, a Russian court has demanded that Yandex remove or blur information relating to one of the country’s largest oil refineries. This approach marks a judicial first in Russia concerning the removal of sensitive content linked to defense infrastructure. Although the refinery involved is not explicitly named, independent sources have indicated that it may be the Rosneft-controlled facility in Ryazan.
Rosneft, involved in Russian military logistics, has been the target of several Ukrainian attacks in recent months, causing material damage and injuries to employees.
A national security issue: the restriction of images
The court case
The case was initiated by an unidentified regulatory agency, according to TASS. The latter conducted an investigation revealing that detailed information on the refinery’s facilities was publicly available via Yandex mapping services. After direct negotiations with the company failed, the agency requested legal intervention.
The court ordered Yandex to remove or blur images of critical areas, including workshops, compressor stations and tank storage areas. He justified this decision by saying that the publication of these images compromises the national defense capacity and slows down the delivery of materials intended for military operations.
Google image is full of photos of this refinery.
This is the first time that a Russian court has imposed such a measure on a national technological player. This decision reflects the evolution of strategies for protecting critical infrastructure, in a context where modern conflicts increasingly integrate digital dimensions. In addition to being required to remove the images, Yandex was also ordered to pay a fine to the state, although the amount was not specified.
A digital conflict: the war of cards
International precedents
This case highlights a global problem: the public disclosure of precise satellite images or maps that can be exploited for military purposes. In November, Ukraine accused Google of exposing the location of its military sites on its mapping service. Although Google claimed that the images came from public sources and were more than a year old, the case had raised concerns about the transparency and security of publicly available data.
A similar example was reported in 2020, when images on Google Earth revealed secret military bases in India, exposing the locations of sensitive infrastructure to potential enemies. In 2021, cybersecurity researchers also reported that Google Maps provided highly detailed views of some air bases in the United States, including those where strategic weapons were stored.
In December 2022, Chinese activists accused Google of having left strategic information on their energy transport infrastructure in Xinjiang province accessible.
The responsibility of technological players
Platforms like Yandex, Google or Bing play a crucial role in the dissemination of geographic information. However, their responsibility for protecting sensitive data remains a delicate subject. While companies often declare that their data comes from public sources, national authorities consider disseminating this information to compromise their security.
In Russia, this responsibility is accentuated by the context of the war in Ukraine, where civil and military infrastructures have become strategic targets. The authorities therefore seek to strictly control access to this information.
This incident highlights the growing importance of cybersecurity and data management in protecting critical infrastructure. While digital technologies offer significant benefits, they also create new vulnerabilities. Removing images or maps of strategic facilities is a corrective measure, but it does not address the underlying problem of uncontrolled flow of information.
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