Drones attacked the Gorodets district of Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region overnight on October 23. A data center belonging to Russia's Federal Tax Service (FTS) is located in the district. Regional authorities reported that three people were injured in the attack.
Nizhny Novgorod Governor Gleb Nikitin said 19 drones had been destroyed over the region. Residential buildings, an educational institution, and an infrastructure facility were damaged in the Gorodets district.
Local authorities temporarily restricted traffic following the attack. Schools in the district switched to remote learning.
The Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ reported that the drones had targeted the Federal Tax Service data center. Videos recorded by witnesses showed flashes and explosions in the Gorodets area.
The Insider published footage reportedly filmed approximately one kilometer from the tax agency's data center.
However, regional authorities did not identify the damaged infrastructure facility. The Federal Tax Service has also not publicly confirmed that equipment at its data center was destroyed.
The Insider reported that no disruptions to FTS services were recorded following the attack.
According to specialized media reports, the Federal Tax Service operates two major data centers, one in Dubna near Moscow and another in the Nizhny Novgorod region. They host systems used to process tax information and maintain government registers.
The attack on the Gorodets district and the reported injuries are confirmed by official statements. The extent of any possible damage to the FTS data center, however, remains unknown.
There have been no confirmed reports of tax data being lost or of prolonged interruptions to the agency's information systems as a result of the attack.