Zelensky: Russia Targeting Ukraine's Internet Infrastructure with Drone Strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared in a Saturday evening address that Russia has launched a systematic operation targeting Ukrainian data centers and communication infrastructure, with the explicit goal of leaving Ukraine without internet access and digital services.

"Russians are conducting a strike operation against Ukrainian data centers, against our communication infrastructure. And everyone sees this threat. The goal is simple: leave Ukrainians without internet, leave us without communications, without digital services. We are countering this operationally," Zelensky said.

Recent Attacks on Ukraine's Digital Infrastructure

The statement came after a series of Russian strikes on Kyiv's tech infrastructure over the preceding days. On September 23, a key internet exchange node operated by provider UTELS was hit. Providers Domonet, Kievnet, and Faust reported outages after a September 24 strike, and the data center of hosting company MiroHost was destroyed the same day. On September 25, the Datagroup company's data center was also damaged.

According to Zelensky, Ukraine's Supreme Command has approved specific steps to defend data centers and other critical communications infrastructure. A dedicated Stavka decision was taken on the matter.

Broader Context: Russia's Drone Expansion

Zelensky also announced that Ukraine plans to sign its 12th Drone Deal with a major partner in the coming weeks, part of Kyiv's effort to bolster air defenses against the growing threat of reactive Shaheds and loitering munitions.