Russia Targets Ukrainian Data Centers and Internet Infrastructure in Widened Air Campaign

Russian military forces have expanded their air campaign in Ukraine to target data centers and internet service providers, seeking to disrupt civilian connectivity and everyday digital services, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in statements reported by Hacker News. The strikes have damaged server facilities in the capital, leaving approximately 100,000 households in the Kyiv region without internet connectivity earlier in the week and prompting domestic companies to transfer server data to foreign infrastructure.

The physical damage includes a drone strike on Friday against the Inkom business center in Kyiv, which killed four people and damaged a data center facility operated by telecommunications provider Datagroup. A separate attack in the capital killed a 14-year-old Israeli citizen. Datagroup confirmed that while technical teams are assessing the structural damage from the strike, company operations continue via backup sites. Russia's defence ministry confirmed the strike on the Datagroup facility, alleging the site was used by Ukrainian military intelligence.

The Russian defence ministry said its forces have targeted multiple data processing and telecommunications locations in recent days, naming facilities associated with New-Telco, United DC, Kyivstar, and Parkovyi. The strikes have caused secondary disruptions outside the capital; municipal authorities in the north-western city of Lutsk reported that electronic transit boards at public transport stops stopped functioning due to damage inflicted on Kyiv data centers.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha characterized the facilities as critical civilian infrastructure necessary for circulating rapid missile and drone warning alerts. Serhii Beskrestnov, a top adviser to Zelensky on defense technologies, noted that while localized disruptions will occur and internet service costs could rise to fund infrastructure repairs, Ukraine's decentralized network architecture prevents a nationwide connectivity blackout.

Cross-border infrastructure supporting Ukrainian connectivity has also faced physical disruption. Prosecutors in Poland launched an investigation into a suspected arson attack on a Starlink satellite ground station in Wola Krobowska, which relays internet bandwidth to Ukraine. The Polish national prosecutor's office stated there is reasonable suspicion that the perpetrators acted on orders from Russian special services, a claim Moscow has not addressed.