Jan 3 (Reuters) - A Russian court has ordered internet

company Yandex to hide access to maps and photos of

one of Russia's largest oil refineries due to constant attacks

by Ukrainian drones, state news agency TASS reported on Friday.

Yandex, often referred to as "Russia's Google", operates the

country's largest search engine and other online services like

maps, translate and email, as well as ride-hailing and food

delivery.

The court in Moscow ordered Yandex to exclude information

about the refinery's infrastructure from its search results by

removing and editing images of workshops, compressor stations

and other parts of the plant from Yandex Maps, TASS reported.

It was not clear which refinery the court decision referred

to, but TASS said the facility had been attacked four times by

Ukrainian drones in 2024.

Ukraine has staged numerous strikes on Russian oil storage

facilities and refineries, responding to Moscow's February 2022

invasion and repeated attacks on Ukrainian cities and

infrastructure.

The court's decision can be appealed. Yandex did not

immediately respond to a request for comment.

The refinery had tried to resolve the issue directly with

Yandex before taking the matter to court, TASS said. The

claimant argued that the availability of information about the

refinery online undermined Russia's defence capability and

negatively impacted the armed forces.