Yandex, the Russian IT company, has announced plans to reopen its headquarters in Istanbul starting March 1. The renewed campus will include a collaboration space and a fully equipped office, according to TASS reporting cited by the company.
Officials indicated that the expansion includes additional hubs, with a new center set to operate in Turkey. A company source noted that onboarding at the new facility could take up to three months.
A Yandex spokesperson confirmed the move, explaining that the Istanbul site will host teams that must be physically present in Turkey to build services tailored to the local market.
Yandex previously maintained an Istanbul presence from 2011 to 2020. The decision to reestablish the Turkish office accompanied the launch of the company’s branded search engine in Turkey, and the local cartography and logistics services have long served Turkish users.
The Istanbul office was closed in September 2020 during the pandemic era, with operations shifted to collaborate with Turkish partners from Yandex’s Russian headquarters.
According to the company’s public materials, Yandex operates offices in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, as well as in Minsk, Alma-Ata, Lucerne, and Amsterdam. Additional locations exist on other continents, including Shanghai and Newburyport, with recent openings in Tel Aviv and Prague.
Arkady Volozh, co-founder of Yandex, wrote a farewell message at the end of 2022 to employees, explaining the restructuring plan as reasonable and necessary in light of strategic changes for the business. (Source: Yandex press communications and public statements)