Ukrainian security raids Kiev and Odessa offices of Russian tech giant Yandex

Yesterday the Ukrainian State Security Service (SBU) raided the Kiev and Odessa offices of Russia’s leading internet search engine Yandex, as part of an investigation into suspected treason.

According to a statement by the SBU, published on its website, Yandex had illegally passed Ukrainian internet users’ data to Russian security agencies in an act of sabotage.

“The information was handed over to the Russian intelligence services for the purposes of planning, organising and carrying out reconnaissance, sabotage and subversive operations in our country,” the statement reads.

While Yandex confirmed the searches at its offices, the company claimed to have no information about the reasons behind the raids.

“Yandex is ready to provide all information regarding its operations in Ukraine, according and limited by Ukrainian legal procedures,” said spokesperson Ksenia Korneyeva.

This development comes after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed an order two weeks ago imposing sweeping sanctions on Russia, including that Ukrainian internet providers block all Yandex services, along with popular social networking sites VKontakte and Odnoklassniki.

Source: TASS (in Russian)