Home · World · Sep 24 archive

Russia Steps Up Attacks on Ukraine's Internet Infrastructure

4:04 PM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: Russia intensified its attacks on Ukraine's internet infrastructure, targeting data centers and communication nodes in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast.

Around 100,000 households in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast experienced internet disruptions following a Sept. 23 drone attack, as specialists worked to restore service.

Anatolii Frolenkov, a representative of the 1-IX internet exchange point, said Russia has started systematically targeting internet infrastructure since September.

Several providers reported direct damage to their infrastructure, with Crazy Network noting a strike damaged a central internet traffic exchange in Kyiv, disrupting services in the capital and nearby oblasts.

Hosting provider MiroHost said its data center in Ukraine was destroyed, but around 90-95% of its customers use infrastructure outside Ukraine and were unaffected.

Russia's attacks on Ukraine's internet infrastructure are part of a broader strategy to destabilize life in Ukraine and terrorize civilians, as Moscow fails to achieve its battlefield goals.

Despite the recent damage, Frolenkov said knocking out internet access across Ukraine would be extremely difficult.

The internet will not disappear completely, as providers have distributed infrastructure across different locations, including outside Ukraine.

Russian strikes have hit multiple data centers and internet providers in Kyiv over the past two days, disrupting service for around 100,000 households.

Attacks on Ukraine's communications infrastructure are not new, with earlier strikes on energy and telecommunications networks.

Russia's fuel oil exports fell to 591,000 barrels a day in August, down from the average 860,000 bpd in 2025, according to Kpler data.

Ukraine has been increasingly successful in hitting Russian energy infrastructure, leading Russia to impose restrictions on its own fuel exports.

Combined diesel exports from Russia and the Gulf in August were 1.6 million barrels a day lower than in February.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• Around 100,000 households in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast experienced internet disruptions following a Sept. 23 drone attack, as specialists worked to restore service.
• Anatolii Frolenkov, a representative of the 1-IX internet exchange point, said Russia has started systematically targeting internet infrastructure since September.
• Several providers reported direct damage to their infrastructure, with Crazy Network noting a strike damaged a central internet traffic exchange in Kyiv, disrupting services in the capital and nearby oblasts.
• Hosting provider MiroHost said its data center in Ukraine was destroyed, but around 90-95% of its customers use infrastructure outside Ukraine and were unaffected.
• Russia's attacks on Ukraine's internet infrastructure are part of a broader strategy to destabilize life in Ukraine and terrorize civilians, as Moscow fails to achieve its battlefield goals.
• Despite the recent damage, Frolenkov said knocking out internet access across Ukraine would be extremely difficult.
• The internet will not disappear completely, as providers have distributed infrastructure across different locations, including outside Ukraine.
• Russian strikes have hit multiple data centers and internet providers in Kyiv over the past two days, disrupting service for around 100,000 households.
• Attacks on Ukraine's communications infrastructure are not new, with earlier strikes on energy and telecommunications networks.
• Russia's fuel oil exports fell to 591,000 barrels a day in August, down from the average 860,000 bpd in 2025, according to Kpler data.
• Ukraine has been increasingly successful in hitting Russian energy infrastructure, leading Russia to impose restrictions on its own fuel exports.
• Combined diesel exports from Russia and the Gulf in August were 1.6 million barrels a day lower than in February.

What's still developing

• "Russia has targeted major Ukrainian data centers, seeking to disrupt the flow of information. Rapid alerts about missile and drone threats are essential – they save lives," Sybiha said.
• President Donald Trump said that Russia had "lost control" of its diesel industry due to the ongoing fighting with Ukraine and called for an end to the war.
• "Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry due to its War with Ukraine," he posted on Truth Social.
• The market is now fully braced for Brent crude to trade above $100/barrel on a sustained basis." "Saudi Arabia has halted operations at several southern energy facilities after attacks triggered fires and caused injuries, escalating risks to regional oil supply.
• The strikes follow repeated Houthi attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure, including the 400,000 barrel/day Jazan refinery, which had already been offline since July." "The disruption comes as shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remain constrained by the U.S.-Iranian conflict, increasing the risk of simultaneous supply losses across key Middle East export routes.
• Notable to hear President Trump announce that he had been in contact with President Zelensky of Ukraine to call on him to stop attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
• This appeared to repeat a narrative from Treasury Secretary Bessent that it was Ukrainian attacks on Russia, and not the war effort on Iran, which had driven US diesel prices to record prices - over $6 a gallon.
• It is hard to determine how much capacity has been taken out of action, but it’s been so significant that Russia, which was a significant diesel and refined product exporter, has banned exports.
• Trump might be eager to deflect blame for the global spike in energy, and particularly from the war in Iran, but he cannot escape from some of the blame even for Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
• Russia launched a drone and missile attack on Kyiv on the night of Sept. 16-17, damaging an education facility and injuring at least 20 people in Ukraine's capital, officials reported.
• Russia's attack resumed when ballistic missiles targeted Ukraine's capital at around 2:13 a.m. local time with "two big explosions in quick succession, then another after about a minute," War Editor Chris York said.
• Homes and commercial infrastructure were also damaged in the oblast's Fastivskyi district, the Military Administration wrote.

Sources

• Al Jazeeralink
• Justthenewslink
• Ukrinformlink
• Kyivpostlink
• Washingtonexaminerlink
• Kyivindependentlink
• Azernewslink
• Huffingtonpostlink
• Oilpricelink
• Newsweeklink
• Englishlink
• Informatlink
• WarpBeat — background on Russia Targets Ukraine's Internet Infrastructure in Escalating Attacks link
• public domain / DVIDS — video link