RUSSIA STRIKES UKRAINE’S LARGEST MOBILE OPERATOR, TARGETS DATA CENTRES

September 28, 2026

Russia struck the headquarters of Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile service provider, in Kyiv on Sunday, September 27, amid an intensifying campaign against the country’s telecommunications infrastructure and data centres.

Kyivstar confirmed that its head office in the Ukrainian capital had been hit, but reported no casualties. The attack came as Russian forces continued strikes on Ukrainian communications facilities, which are essential for maintaining mobile networks, internet connectivity and the exchange of information.

Russia’s Defence Ministry separately claimed that its forces had struck a data centre belonging to Vodafone Ukraine, the country’s second-largest mobile operator. The facility was allegedly involved in providing communications and high-speed internet services to the Ukrainian military. Vodafone Ukraine had not publicly confirmed the reported damage.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a data centre in Kyiv had been struck twice on Sunday morning, leaving two children and an adult injured. Ukraine’s Digital Ministry also reported that Russian attacks on data centres operated by internet providers during the preceding week had disrupted services for approximately 100,000 households in Kyiv and surrounding areas.

The attacks have intensified concerns over the vulnerability of Ukraine’s digital infrastructure, which supports telecommunications, government operations, emergency alerts and essential civilian services. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that attacks on major data centres threatened the flow of information and could undermine the timely delivery of alerts about missile and drone strikes.

The latest strikes form part of the continuing Russia-Ukraine conflict, in which both sides have increasingly targeted infrastructure beyond the immediate battlefield, including energy facilities, logistics networks and communications systems.