Russia has expanded its military campaign to directly target Ukraine's data centres and internet infrastructure, according to President Zelensky, in a shift aimed at disrupting civilian life rather than military targets. A Russian drone strike on a business centre in Kyiv on Friday killed four people and damaged a data centre, whilst a separate attack killed a 14-year-old. Ukrainian officials emphasise that these are critical civilian infrastructure essential for alerting the population to threats, maintaining connectivity for work and study, and enabling everyday functioning.

Russia has systematically targeted multiple data processing and telecommunications facilities across Ukraine in recent days, including Datagroup, New-Telco, United DC, Kyivstar and Parkovyi, with approximately 100,000 households in Kyiv experiencing internet outages on Wednesday. Whilst some companies are relocating data abroad and costs for internet services may rise due to repair expenses, Ukraine's decentralised network architecture means the country will retain internet access. In a related development, Polish prosecutors are investigating a suspected Russian-orchestrated arson attack on a Starlink station that relays internet traffic to Ukraine, signalling Moscow's broader campaign against Ukrainian connectivity during the winter months.