Netanyahu says Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centers disrupted 60% of Russian anti-Israel bot activity

Speaking during a presentation of Israel's new national security doctrine, Netanyahu said Russia-based bot networks had been spreading anti-Israel messages featuring what he described as extreme antisemitism.

"Sixty percent [of online activity] behind which stood Russian actors operating against us disappeared," Netanyahu said.

He attributed the decline to Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centers in Russia.

His claim could not be independently verified, and he did not provide details of the methodology used to calculate the figure.

Netanyahu said Israel continued to raise the issue with Russian officials and that he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin when necessary.

"Russia has its own interests, just as the State of Israel does, and they do not always coincide," Netanyahu said. "Sometimes they even contradict one another."

He added that Israel sought to pursue shared interests where possible while defending its own when the two countries' positions diverged.

Russian Yandex data center infrastructure reportedly came under drone attack on several occasions in October, including incidents in Ryazan region on October 8, Kaluga region the following day and Vladimir on October 11.

Technology publication Tom's Hardware subsequently reported a sharp decline in Russian bot traffic following the strikes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also commented on the apparent change, saying that several social media platforms had suddenly become "a little easier to breathe on."

The reported decline in bot activity has not been independently established as a direct consequence of the attacks.