Could Russia cut Ukraine off from internet and mobile communications?
Russia has escalated strikes on Ukraine's data centres and mobile operator infrastructure, aiming not to fully shut down the internet but to degrade quality and overload backup routes. Industry experts warn that mobile core networks could prove even more vulnerable than data centres.
Over the past week, Russia has widened its campaign of attacks beyond energy and logistics targets to strike buildings housing data centres used by internet providers, government services and banks. On 23 September, drones hit at least three data centres in Kyiv in a single day, damaging equipment belonging to several internet service providers. Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation reported that around 100,000 users experienced internet access problems. Ekonomichna Pravda estimates at least nine Kyiv data centres may have been targeted since September, some more than once.
Four days later, Russia turned to mobile operator infrastructure, striking facilities belonging to Kyivstar and Vodafone Ukraine. The attacks have also disrupted government digital services, state registries, and broadcasts from several television channels.
Why the infrastructure matters
Industry representatives say no single facility's destruction could take the whole country offline, since networks have become significantly more decentralised in recent years, with multiple backup connection points. However, backup routes typically have lower capacity, which can lead to slower internet speeds and connection drops. Repairing a damaged data centre is complex and lengthy, since such facilities involve not just servers but power supply, cooling and access control systems.
Ukraine's government has already responded, allocating UAH 518.3 million (about $11.5 million) to build backup environments, cloud infrastructure and additional storage sites. The greatest risk may lie with mobile core networks, which manage subscriber registration, calls and mobile internet access — damage there could have consequences resembling the cyberattack that previously left millions of Kyivstar subscribers without service.
