The point still stands though, Yandex is also a behemoth with access to a massive amount of data.

It's pretty clearly intentionally hobbled for various reasons (e.g. privacy, obscenity, etc). It used to work a lot better.

Which would explain why Yandex, specifically, is the best-in-category: being based in a country where your government enjoys trolling developed world's idea of decency and responsibility can have its advantages.

(Until, of course, they force you out and give company to some crony oligarch. But that idea is also not unknown to Yandex, I believe?)