Key facts
- Ukrainian partisan group Atesh claimed sabotage of military communications near Moscow.
- The target was IXcellerate, a major commercial data center operator in Russia.
- The group stated the disruption aimed to hinder Russian air-defense coordination.
- Atesh claimed military traffic was concealed within civilian server networks.
Agents of the Ukrainian partisan group Atesh claimed on October 21 to have disrupted Russian military communication lines around IXcellerate, one of Moscow's largest commercial data center operators. The group stated their objective was to interfere with Russian air-defense coordination and facilitate Ukrainian drone operations. Atesh asserted that the Russian Defense Ministry utilizes infrastructure linked to IXcellerate for military communications and air-defense command systems, masking this traffic within civilian server networks. The Kyiv Independent was unable to independently verify these claims, and Atesh did not offer specifics regarding the extent or duration of the alleged disruption. Russian authorities and IXcellerate have not publicly confirmed any impact on military communications.