Key facts
- Russia has widened its attacks to target Ukraine's data centers and internet providers, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
- A Russian drone strike on a business center in Kyiv on Friday killed four people and damaged a data center.
- Russia confirmed targeting the data center site, stating it was being used by Ukrainian military intelligence.
- Approximately 100,000 households in Kyiv and the region experienced internet outages on Wednesday due to strikes.
- Poland is investigating an alleged arson attack on a Starlink satellite station, suspecting Russian special services ordered the perpetrators.
- Ukraine's internet network is highly decentralized, meaning the country will not be left without internet access, according to Serhii Beskrestnov, Zelensky's top adviser on defense technologies.
Russian forces have expanded their attacks to target Ukraine's data centers and internet providers, aiming to cause maximum disruption, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He stated that these attacks affect people's ability to stay connected, study, and work.
On Friday, a Russian drone struck a business center in the capital, Kyiv, resulting in four fatalities and damage to a data center. Russia's defense ministry confirmed it targeted the site, claiming it was utilized by Ukrainian military intelligence. This incident follows recent intensified strikes on Ukraine's energy and railway infrastructure.
In the aftermath of the Kyiv attack, approximately 100,000 households in the capital and surrounding region experienced internet outages on Wednesday. Some companies are reportedly relocating data from damaged servers abroad. In Lutsk, electronic information boards at public transport stops were also rendered inoperable due to the damage to data centers in Kyiv.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha emphasized that data centers are critical civilian infrastructure essential for daily life and that Russia's targeting of them disrupts the flow of "life-saving information," such as rapid alerts about missile and drone threats.
Serhii Beskrestnov, Zelensky's top adviser on defense technologies, acknowledged potential "local disruptions" and increased internet service costs due to repairs but stressed that Ukraine's highly decentralized internet network ensures continued access.
Datagroup, the company operating the hit data center in Kyiv, is assessing the damage but confirmed services continue from backup sites. Russia's defense ministry also stated that several other data processing and telecommunications centers, including New-Telco, United DC, Kyivstar, and Parkovyi, were targeted in recent days.
In a separate development, Polish prosecutors have initiated an investigation into an alleged arson attack on a Starlink satellite station in Wola Krobowska on Wednesday, with suspicions that Russian special services ordered the perpetrators. The station transmits internet traffic through Poland to countries including Ukraine, utilizing SpaceX systems.