Can all search engines be trusted equally?

Yandex, often described as the Google of the Russian-speaking world, has undergone a significant transformation since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. Originally founded in 1997 by Arkady Volozh and Ilya Segalovich as a search engine, the technology firm now includes a food delivery app and a ride-hailing service. Its search engine and its reverse image feature are key tools for OSINT analysts conducting research in Russian-speaking jurisdictions. Following the recent events that have engulfed the tech giant, which resulted in its sale to Russian owners, Yandex should now be used with caution until more is known about how it will operate.

Yandex used to be a multinational technology company, with its parent company, Yandex N.V., listed in the Netherlands. When the war began in Ukraine, Yandex N.V. was under significant pressure from Western governments to cease operations in Russia. At the same time, Yandex was under pressure from the Russian government, which viewed the company’s Russia-based assets as strategically important. The Russian government had already seized such ‘strategically important’ Russia-based assets of other companies — like drink producer Carlsberg — by force.  Yandex N.V. was understandably concerned by this and began to negotiate a deal.

Discussions began in summer 2022 and continued for 18 months, culminating in a deal in February 2024. A consortium of domestic Russian investors agreed to purchase Yandex N.V.’s Russia-based assets, including its search engine, for $5.2 billion — a steep discount, given the company was valued at nearly $30 billion prior to the war beginning. The deal was finalised in May 2024, and Yandex N.V. rebranded as the Nebius Group last month. It hopes to become a major player in building the infrastructure that underpins AI.

Now that the parent company has formally separated from its Russia-based assets, it poses the question: what is the future for Yandex, and will OSINT analysts investigating Russian-speaking jurisdictions be able to use the search engine going forwards?

The potential challenges posed by the new ownership of the search engine include increased censorship and the suppression of information. For instance, accusations have emerged that Yandex has hidden information about the war in Ukraine from its Russia-based users. It is likely that this information censorship also impacts Yandex’s reverse image search function and AI chatbot.

OSINT analysts also have to consider the possibility that Yandex may be manipulating algorithms to dictate search results. And with the resulting increased potential for misinformation, it will be critical to authenticate any information sourced via the search engine.

We do not know how widespread access to independent media will be on Yandex going forward, although it can be assumed that it will be limited: laws passed since 2022 make it a crime to “discredit” the Russian army online, for example. The reduced visibility of independent or non-Russian outlets will limit the breadth of perspectives available to investigators, and the self-censorship of journalists and researchers due to the new laws will also reduce the diversity of information that is accessible via Yandex.

Finally, there are serious surveillance concerns, as Yandex may be tracking users’ activity. Its opaque data collection policies would allow the search engine to build profiles on its users. This may lead to operational security risks for investigators, and makes it extremely important to use anonymisation techniques — such as VPNs — when conducting research on the site.

It is impossible to know the exact future for Yandex, and many questions remain as to how analysts will integrate the search engine into research going forward. Nevertheless, Yandex’s new ownership highlights the need for analysts to adopt a critical eye and a diversified approach to investigations, while constantly correlating and contextualising their sources.