Ukraine’s drone strikes on Russian data centres may change how we see disinformation

In recent days, Ukraine carried out drone strikes on three major Russian data centres operated by Yandex and Sberbank. The attacks followed Russian assaults on Ukrainian data centres and internet service providers. The strikes have disrupted Yandex's services by 94%, causing immense inconvenience to users. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that the strikes have made it easier to combat online disinformation and bot activity.

However, subsequent reports have questioned the efficacy of this claim. The incident underscores the significance of physical communication infrastructure in the online realm and prompts questions about "digital sovereignty" and the methods to counter disinformation.

Data centres, traditionally considered unconventional military targets, may be becoming more viable as their importance in the digital world grows. Disrupting these facilities could potentially hinder an adversary's military operations and civilian services reliant on them. For Russia, disruptions to data centres may slow down the economy in the long run, weakening its capacity to sustain the war.

Ukraine's strikes come after Iran targeted data centres in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in response to American attacks. The Iranian strikes led to long-term degradation of services and the loss of some data.

Russia's pursuit of "digital sovereignty" has enabled it to censor online information and isolate Russian users from global internet services. However, concentrating digital operations in a few physical sites can create vulnerabilities, making them susceptible to attacks and slow recovery, especially considering Russia's dependence on China for advanced semiconductors.

Democracies can learn from these events and explore physical or regulatory limitations on Russian-based platforms and services, as well as international cooperation to mitigate Russia's digital influence. The Kremlin's continued isolation in the name of digital sovereignty is making it more vulnerable to attacks and disruptions.