Russia targeting ordinary life with attacks on Ukraine's data centres, Zelensky says

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Moscow is systematically widening its aerial campaign to paralyse civilian connectivity by targeting data centres and internet providers across Ukraine. The escalation comes as cross-border strikes intensify on both sides, leaving communities grappling with mounting infrastructure damage and severe casualties. Explore broader regional updates via BBC reporting and our dedicated world coverage.

According to BBC reporting, Zelenskyy stated that the Kremlin views ordinary daily existence as a primary target. 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 wrote in a social media statement. Officials reported that approximately 100,000 households in Kyiv and the surrounding region suffered internet outages following the strikes. The digital disruption extended beyond the capital; in Lutsk, electronic information boards at public transport stops failed to operate due to structural damage inflicted on Kyiv-based data nodes.

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The human toll of the ongoing aerial campaign remains severe. Kyiv Independent noted that daytime and overnight drone strikes across the capital killed at least seven people and injured 59 others. Among the dead was a 14-year-old boy killed when a drone struck a multi-storey residential building in the central Pecherskyi district. Israel's foreign ministry confirmed that the teenager was an Israeli citizen. Additional strikes impacted commercial spaces, office buildings, and a food warehouse utilised by McDonald's, as detailed by Kyiv Post.

While Ukrainian authorities have acknowledged that the strikes temporarily disrupted internet services and forced some firms to migrate data to backup servers abroad, defence tech advisers emphasise that the nation's decentralized digital architecture prevents total network collapse. Meanwhile, European allies continue to bolster financial and military backing. EA WorldView reported that European Union member states agreed to release billions in military assistance and joint procurement funds from the European Peace Facility, with top diplomats condemning Moscow's tactics as hybrid intimidation.

As detailed by Edp24, the aerial exchanges occur alongside high-level diplomatic engagements. President Zelenskyy has held talks with international partners regarding security guarantees and air defence reinforcement, while domestic emergency crews work continuously to restore compromised communication lines. Parallel security concerns have also emerged across Europe, including investigations into suspected sabotage at a Starlink satellite station in Poland.