At least 16 people killed as Russia and Ukraine trade deadly air strikes
At least 16 people were killed over the past 24 hours as Russia and Ukraine traded deadly drone and missile strikes, authorities from both countries said Saturday. The UN has warned of rising civilian deaths as Kyiv and Moscow ramp up long-range strikes on critical infrastructure.
Russia has escalated its military campaign against Ukraine by striking data centers within the country, according to recent reports. A Russian drone targeted a data center in the heart of Kyiv, causing damage and resulting in the deaths of four individuals. This incident is part of a broader campaign of disruption aimed at crippling the country's connectivity, internet access, and overall functioning, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ukrainian President emphasized that Russia views all aspects of everyday life as legitimate targets, including American and other businesses, data centers, and internet providers.
Ukraine's internet network, although decentralized, is expected to experience localized disruptions in the wake of these attacks. Over 100,000 households have been left without internet connectivity, prompting some companies to relocate their data operations to neighboring countries to mitigate the impact. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha emphasized that these strikes pose a significant threat to the flow of "life-saving information," particularly real-time alerts about imminent missile and drone threats, which are critical for civilian safety.
He stressed that data centers are considered critical infrastructure since modern society is heavily dependent on online services, thereby transforming them into strategic targets in ongoing conflicts.
Historically, government-run data processing sites have often been among the initial targets in military operations. However, the recent targeting of commercial civilian data center infrastructure by Iran in response to the U.S. bombing campaign in March marked a significant shift in military strategy. This tactic involved drone and missile attacks on AWS Middle East regional data centers in Dubai and Bahrain, as well as targeted assaults on tech giants such as Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, Google, and 14 other American companies, including OpenAI's Stargate AI data center in Abu Dhabi.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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