Ukraine and Russia Exchange Strikes on Data Centers

Ukraine and Russia have engaged in a series of retaliatory drone and missile strikes targeting critical digital infrastructure. Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukrainian forces targeted Yandex data centers in Sasovo and Kaluga, as well as a Sberbank facility, to disrupt Russian digital services and bot traffic. He noted that the strikes made it "easier to breathe on many social media platforms" by reducing hate and provocations driven by bots.

The attacks on Yandex caused significant civilian disruptions across Russia, including failures in email access, taxi booking, and automated apartment gates. In response, the Russian military attacked Ukrainian data centers, an action the Russian Defense Ministry characterized as a "mandatory digital detox."

These events mirror a broader shift in modern warfare toward targeting the digital infrastructure essential for social and economic stability. Similar tactics were observed earlier in the year when Iran struck Amazon data centers in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain following U.S.-Israeli attacks in February.