Russian forces carried out a series of strikes on Ukrainian data centers and digital infrastructure in late September.
As Meduza reported, the Datagroup data center in Kyiv was damaged on September 25, while the Cosmonova data center stopped operating after a strike on September 26, causing disruptions to television broadcasting and internet access.
On September 26, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it was striking data centers because, according to the ministry, they “process and transmit intelligence information for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” The next day, the ministry published another message using the phrase “digital detox.”
The Russian Defense Ministry’s claim about military use of those facilities represents the position of one party to the war and does not by itself establish the military status of every data center that was attacked.
Ukrainian authorities said they were preparing for further attacks on communications infrastructure and developing additional measures to preserve mobile service and internet access.