Four people were killed in a Russian drone strike on a business centre in Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia has expanded its attacks to include Ukraine's data centres and internet providers, aiming to disrupt daily life for civilians. "All this affects people's ability to stay connected, study, work," he said.
On Friday, a Russian drone struck a business centre in Kyiv, resulting in four fatalities and damage to a data centre. Additionally, a separate attack led to the death of a 14-year-old boy, identified by Israel's foreign ministry as an Israeli citizen. Russia confirmed that it targeted a data centre site, claiming it was utilized by Ukrainian military intelligence.
Approximately 100,000 households in Kyiv and the surrounding region experienced internet outages on Wednesday due to the strikes. Some companies have begun relocating data from damaged servers to facilities outside Ukraine.
In Lutsk, electronic information boards at public transport stops were reported non-functional on Friday, attributed to damage from the Russian attack on data centres in Kyiv. In a social media post, Zelensky remarked, "The Russians are constantly expanding their escalation operation: American and other businesses, data centres, internet providers – for Russia, all ordinary life is simply a target."
He emphasized the importance of a global response to Russia's actions. Later on Friday, Zelensky announced that "additional decisions" were made during a meeting with Ukraine's top defense and security officials to safeguard data centres and critical communication facilities.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha commented that Russia aims to disrupt the flow of "life-saving information" by targeting data centres, stating, "Rapid alerts about missile and drone threats are essential - they save lives. This is critical civilian infrastructure... It is not a military target. It is essential to keeping everyday life functioning."
Zelensky's adviser on defense technologies acknowledged potential local disruptions due to Russian attacks, which could increase internet service costs for repairs. However, Serhii Beskrestnov assured that Ukraine's internet network remains highly decentralized, ensuring continued access.
The data centre affected by the Russian strike was operated by Datagroup, which reported that its specialists were assessing the damage but that services were still operational from backup sites. Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported that seven people had died and 59 were injured following Russian overnight attacks.
Russia's defense ministry confirmed the attack on the Datagroup site, asserting it was used by Ukrainian military intelligence. Footage of the damaged Inkom business centre housing Datagroup has been verified by the BBC. The Russian defense ministry also noted that its forces have targeted various data processing and telecommunications centres in Ukraine, including New-Telco, United DC, Kyivstar, and Parkovyi.
In recent weeks, Moscow has intensified strikes on Ukraine's energy and railway infrastructure as winter approaches. Ukraine's military has responded by targeting Russian oil refineries and logistics hubs, claiming these support Russia's war efforts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow would consider resuming direct peace negotiations with Kyiv, referencing last week's Ukrainian attacks on Moscow. He emphasized that Ukraine must feel Russia's retaliatory strikes and that decisions would be made based on Russian interests.
Zelensky expressed readiness for trilateral talks involving the US. Kyiv and European allies have accused Putin of rejecting peace negotiations and seeking to expand Russian territory.
In a separate development, the European Union agreed to release €6.6 billion for Ukraine, as announced by the bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas, who described it as "good news for Ukraine and bad news for Russia." This includes €900 million for the EU's Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine and a €1 billion fund for joint procurement of equipment.
Kallas stated, "Moscow's hybrid attacks try to intimidate Europe into scaling back its support for Ukraine. Europe is doing the opposite."
Additionally, Poland's prosecutors have opened an investigation into an arson attack on a Starlink satellite station, suspecting involvement from Russian special services. The station transmits internet traffic through Poland to countries including Ukraine.
Recent weeks have seen warnings from several European NATO members about potential hybrid attacks from Russia to test their commitment to supporting Ukraine, which Moscow denies. Earlier this month, Germany attributed an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport to Russia, while France has initiated plans to protect critical infrastructure and defense industry sites.