Armed Conflict — 2026-10-08

Russian Jet Drones Strike Ukrainian Data Centers Disrupting Internet Service for 100000 Households

BLUFRussia's escalation from small providers to major carriers and hosting firms signals a deliberate campaign to degrade Ukraine's digital backbone, compounding risks as winter power shortages approach.

Russian drone strikes on September 23 disrupted internet service for about 100,000 households in Kyiv and the surrounding region, Ukraine's digital ministry said, as reported by Reuters 1. Russia's Defence Ministry said it hit two Kyiv data centres it described as serving the Ukrainian military 1. Reporters Without Borders said strikes continued through at least September 29, knocking COSMONOVA|NET offline, partially destroying two CityHost data centres, and killing four people at Datagroup offices on September 25 2. Data Center Dynamics reported hits on Kyivstar's headquarters and a Vodafone Ukraine data center, with Omega Telecom saying its main hub's equipment was destroyed 3. Ars Technica cited ACLED analyst Tetiana Gaviuk saying multiple providers were hit within days 4.

Analysis
Russian strikes have moved from small internet providers to Ukraine's largest carriers and hosting firms, and the damage now reaches media distribution and emergency alerting as well as household connectivity. Operators that lost core equipment, including Omega Telecom, COSMONOVA|NET and CityHost, must rebuild while strikes continue. Reuters, Data Center Dynamics and Ars Technica largely share one public record, but RSF's independent documentation lets the picture hold without a single point of failure. Low-altitude jet drones exposed gaps in air defense, and winter power cuts could compound outages. The campaign may be mainly psychological pressure ahead of winter rather than the attack on military command networks Moscow claims. Reporting has not tested whether the two largest mobile operators' failover holds under sustained attack.

4 sources

Russia's attacks disrupt internet services to 100,000 households in Kyiv, Ukrainian ministry says - The Star (Reuters)
Ukraine: Russia pounds data centres in Kyiv, disrupting media outlets - Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Russian drones hit Kyivstar HQ, Vodafone data center in Ukraine - Data Center Dynamics
Russian drones strike Ukraine data centers by exploiting air defense gaps - Ars Technica