Zelensky Announces 'Additional Decisions' to Protect Data Centres After Wave of Russian Strikes

President says attacks have widened to target internet providers and data centres, with at least 100,000 households affected by outages

By LineZotpaper
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President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced 'additional decisions' to protect Ukraine's data centres and critical communications infrastructure following a wave of Russian strikes that killed four people in Kyiv, disrupted internet for 100,000 households and prompted some firms to move data abroad. The new measures were approved at a meeting of top defence and security officials late on Friday.

President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has widened its attacks to target Ukraine's data centres and internet providers, seeking to cause maximum disruption for ordinary people.

"All this affects people's ability to stay connected, study, work," he said.

On Friday a Russian drone hit a business centre in the capital Kyiv, killing four people and damaging a data centre. A separate attack killed a 14-year-old boy. Israel's foreign ministry said he was an Israeli citizen.

Russia confirmed it had targeted a data centre site, saying it was being used by Ukrainian military intelligence.

About 100,000 households in Kyiv and the region suffered internet outages on Wednesday due to strikes.

Some firms have already begun moving data from damaged servers to facilities abroad.

In the north-western city of Lutsk, electronic information boards at public transport stops were not working on Friday, officials said. The city council said this was "due to damage caused by a Russian attack on data centres in Kyiv".

In Friday's social media post, Zelensky wrote: "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.

"It is important that the world responds to all of this and that Russia feels the response to its terror."

Late on Friday, Zelensky said "additional decisions" had been made at his meeting with Ukraine's top defence and security officials to protect the country's data centres and other critical communications facilities to ensure their continuous operation.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said that Russia was seeking to disrupt the flow of "life-saving information" by targeting data centres.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The attacks strike at civilian digital infrastructure that millions of Ukrainians rely on for daily life, including work, study and emergency alerts.
  • Widespread internet outages and damage to data centres could hamper Ukraine's ability to coordinate defence and maintain essential services.
  • Russia's targeting of data centres used by both civilian and military entities raises questions about the boundaries of conflict and the protection of critical civilian infrastructure.

Background

Russia's war on Ukraine has increasingly targeted energy and communications infrastructure over time. While early phases focused on power grids and heating systems, more recent strikes have expanded to include data centres and internet service providers — a shift that Ukrainian officials say aims to disrupt "ordinary life" and undermine resilience. Ukraine has repeatedly called on international partners to provide more air defence systems and cyber support.

Key Perspectives

Ukrainian Government: Sees the attacks as an escalation of Russian "terror" deliberately aimed at civilian infrastructure, and has moved to enhance physical and cyber protection for data centres and communications networks. Russian Military: Confirmed it struck a data centre, claiming it was used by Ukrainian military intelligence, framing the strikes as legitimate military targets. Affected Civilians and Businesses: Face regular disruptions to connectivity and services; some firms have begun relocating data abroad to protect it, reflecting a loss of confidence in domestic infrastructure.

What to Watch

  • Whether additional Western air defence systems are pledged to protect urban and data centre sites.
  • Continued reports of internet outages or data centre damage in Kyiv and other cities.
  • Potential for Ukraine to accelerate data migration to foreign servers or cloud providers.

Sources

Zotpaper

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