Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s digital infrastructure, striking several datacentres and internet providers in Kyiv in what Ukrainian officials and industry figures say could disrupt a critical part of the country’s economy.

Around 100,000 households in Kyiv and the surrounding region experienced temporary internet outages following strikes on Wednesday and Thursday, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation.

A further drone strike on Friday hit the offices of Datagroup, one of Ukraine’s largest telecommunications companies, in central Kyiv. Four people were killed in the attack.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia was targeting major Ukrainian datacentres in an effort to disrupt the country’s flow of information.

The attacks have raised concerns about the resilience of Ukraine’s digital networks as winter approaches. Although Russia has previously targeted datacentres, officials say the scale of this week’s attacks represents a new challenge for the country’s internet infrastructure.

Polish authorities also reported on Thursday that a Starlink satellite station in central Poland serving Ukraine had been set on fire. Local officials described the incident as an apparent act of sabotage and linked it to Moscow.

Keeping Ukraine connected has been a priority throughout the war. The government and telecommunications companies have worked to ensure that mobile and internet services can continue operating during prolonged power outages by relying on backup electricity supplies and other forms of redundancy.

Ukraine’s relatively decentralised internet network has also helped limit the impact of individual strikes, making it more difficult for attacks on one facility to cause widespread and prolonged outages across an entire city or region.

However, repeated strikes could create greater problems for essential services. Industry figures and officials have warned that sustained damage to telecommunications infrastructure could affect banks, payment systems and public services that depend on reliable digital networks.

Serhii Sternenko, a prominent blogger and former government adviser, urged Kyiv residents to prepare for possible communications disruptions during the winter. He recommended obtaining Starlink terminals or other means of maintaining internet access.

Sternenko said Russia’s objective was not limited to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure but also included datacentres and internet operators.

The attacks come as Russia has increased strikes against Ukraine’s wider economy. Missiles and newer jet-powered drones have been used against warehouses, petrol stations, ports and other commercial facilities, adding pressure to an economy already weakened by years of full-scale war.

A warehouse used by McDonald’s outside Kyiv was among the sites hit on Friday.

Ukraine’s heavy industry has also suffered from Russian attacks, with strikes disrupting industrial facilities and steel production. A senior industry official said Ukraine failed to produce a single tonne of steel this month for the first time in a century.

At the same time, Ukraine is facing a growing threat from high-speed Russian jet-powered drones, including the Geran-5, while its supplies of Patriot missiles needed to defend against ballistic and cruise missile attacks remain critically low.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that US President Donald Trump had approved licences allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot air defence missiles. The move could eventually provide Kyiv with a way to manufacture the systems domestically, although experts say establishing production could take years.

The United States is also facing pressure on its own stocks of Patriot missiles amid ongoing military demands linked to the conflict in the Middle East.

SOURCE: The Guardian, Pjotr Sauer, September 26, 2026.