Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of expanding its attacks to data centres and internet providers, saying the strikes are disrupting essential services and affecting residents’ ability to communicate, work and study.
Zelenskyy made the allegation after Russian strikes damaged a data centre in Kyiv on Friday. A drone hit a business centre in the capital, killing four people, while a separate attack reportedly killed a 14-year-old boy. Kyiv authorities later said the overall death toll from the attacks in the capital had risen, with dozens of people injured.
The damaged facility was operated by telecommunications company Datagroup. The company said its specialists were assessing the damage and that its services remained operational through backup infrastructure. Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed that it had targeted the site, claiming it was being used by Ukrainian military intelligence.
The attacks have also affected internet connectivity. About 100,000 households in Kyiv and the surrounding region experienced internet outages following strikes earlier in the week, while some companies have begun transferring data from damaged servers to facilities outside Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said the attacks were increasingly affecting civilian life, including businesses and communications infrastructure. He called for an international response, arguing that continued strikes on critical infrastructure were creating wider disruptions for the population.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, also criticised the attacks, saying data centres and communications infrastructure were important for maintaining the flow of emergency information. He noted that rapid alerts about missile and drone threats were essential to saving lives.
Despite the damage, Ukrainian officials said the country’s decentralised internet network would help prevent a nationwide communications blackout. Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser on defence technologies, acknowledged that local disruptions could occur and that repair costs could eventually affect internet prices, but said Ukraine would retain internet access.
The impact has extended beyond Kyiv. Officials in the north-western city of Lutsk said electronic information boards at public transport stops were not functioning, attributing the disruption to damage caused by the attacks on data centres in Kyiv.
Russia has said its recent strikes have targeted telecommunications and data-processing facilities that it considers connected to Ukraine’s military capabilities. Its Defence Ministry has listed several facilities among targets hit in recent days, including sites associated with New-Telco, United DC, Kyivstar and Parkovyi.
The latest attacks come amid a broader escalation in Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, including energy and railway facilities, as winter approaches. Ukraine, meanwhile, has continued attacks on Russian oil refineries and logistics facilities, saying they support Moscow’s war effort.
In a separate development, Polish prosecutors opened an investigation into what they described as a suspected arson attack on a Starlink satellite station in Wola Krobowska. Authorities said there was a “reasonable suspicion” that those responsible may have acted on orders from Russian intelligence services. Moscow has not publicly commented on the allegation.
The station is part of a communications network that routes internet traffic through Poland to countries including Ukraine using SpaceX’s Starlink technology. The incident comes amid broader warnings from some European NATO members about possible Russian hybrid operations targeting countries supporting Ukraine, allegations Moscow has repeatedly denied.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had taken additional measures to protect data centres and other critical communications facilities and ensure their continued operation as Russia expands its attacks on infrastructure.
