Photo: RBC
Russian forces continued targeting data centers and telecommunications infrastructure in Kyiv on September 26, causing disruptions to internet services and the broadcasts of several Ukrainian television channels.
The latest strikes hit the Cosmonova data center, located at the Protasiv business center in Kyiv. The company said its core network infrastructure was damaged and that some customers could experience internet disruptions. Emergency crews were working at the site, while Cosmonova’s technical specialists were waiting for access to assess the extent of the damage.
Cosmonova had already reported damage to its facility on September 25. The company said its employees were safe and that customer data had been preserved through geographic redundancy, allowing services to continue from backup locations despite possible temporary disruptions.
TV channels affected
The attacks on Kyiv’s data centers disrupted the broadcasting of several Ukrainian television channels.
Novyny LIVE temporarily suspended its broadcast because of the damage to telecommunications infrastructure in the capital. The channel said engineers were working to restore its network.
Other affected broadcasters included My-Ukraine, which is part of Ukraine’s national telethon, and Army TV. Public broadcaster Suspilne also reported disruptions to video players on its website.
Internet providers face outages
Internet provider Kolo.TV reported its third strike and said equipment had been damaged. The company began deploying backup systems and changing network routes, but warned that restoration could take several hours.
The latest damage follows a series of Russian strikes on Kyiv’s data centers that began on September 23. Those attacks affected infrastructure used by providers including UTELS, Pavutyna, Domonet, Kievnet and Faust. A data center housing MiroHost infrastructure was also destroyed, according to the company’s founder.
MiroHost said the destruction affected its Ukrainian infrastructure, while about 95% of its customers were hosted outside Ukraine and continued receiving services normally.
Wider impact
The repeated attacks have raised concerns about the resilience of Ukraine’s digital infrastructure as the country heads into winter. Data centers are important for internet providers, media outlets, businesses and other services that depend on stable communications.
The Guardian reported that the attacks appear to be targeting the digital infrastructure underpinning Kyiv’s economy and communications networks.
Despite the damage, most affected operators have continued providing services through backup infrastructure and alternative network routes.
