Ukrainian drone strikes on Yandex data centers in early October coincided with a dramatic disruption to A7A5, a Russian ruble-pegged stablecoin operating on Ethereum and Tron networks. The attacks triggered an immediate collapse in transaction volumes for the token, which was designed to help circumvent Western sanctions.
According to blockchain analysis company Elliptic, A7A5 transactions plummeted in the days following the October 7-8 strikes on Yandex infrastructure. Before the attacks, the stablecoin averaged approximately 600 transfers per day. By mid-October, daily transfers had fallen to just 14 to 18 transactions across both networks, with trading volume dropping from consistent daily activity to as low as zero, despite a market capitalization of approximately $455 million to $482 million.
A7A5's primary function was facilitating transfers between Russian rubles and Tether's USDT through an exchange hosted by Yandex since September 2025. The stablecoin is issued by A7 LLC, a Kyrgyzstan-based company that claims backing from deposits at Russia's sanctioned state bank Promsvyazbank.
Following the drone strikes, A7A5 announced service disruptions on its Telegram channels. Initial statements attributed outages to "scheduled work," but explanations shifted to "technical problems" within 24 hours. Users reported suspended services, including missing interest payments since October 9 and difficulties redeeming promissory notes. The company's support systems were also affected, leaving customers limited contact options.
Transaction data shows that remaining A7A5 activity primarily involves decentralized exchange swaps, such as through Uniswap. The platform removed A7A5 from its interface in November 2025, though underlying smart contracts continue supporting the token.
In response to the disruptions, A7 launched a new service allowing businesses to pay in USDT while the company arranges supplier payments through standard SWIFT transfers. This development provided the company with liquidity for its struggling stablecoin operations.
A7A5 had already faced significant headwinds prior to the October strikes. Transaction volumes had fallen 96% from the token's July 2025 peak to $24.3 million daily in June 2026, following coordinated sanctions imposed by the U.S., U.K., and EU.
