Ukrainian attacks on data centers within Russia have been aimed at disrupting military planning and communication services. Reports of other disruptions have also emerged, including delays for customers waiting for their food from delivery applications.
Impact of Attacks on Infrastructure
Kyiv's drone attacks on three Yandex data centers in Sasovo, Kaluga, and Vladimir have caused delays and disruptions for thousands of businesses and families reliant on Yandex's cloud infrastructure. This infrastructure includes e-commerce, digital payment platforms, and food delivery and ride-hailing applications. Additionally, Ukrainian drones attacked a large data center belonging to Sberbank in the Saratov region of Russia on Wednesday, although a senior company official stated that operations were not affected.
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New Frontlines of War
Following the attacks on Russian data centers, Kyiv pointed out that Moscow has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's digital infrastructure. One senior official, who requested anonymity, stated, "Ukrainians wanted to show the Russians that this is a two-way game." These attacks and counterattacks represent a new front in the war: the infrastructure supporting the digital economy.
Attacks on buildings that provide computing power are akin to attacking a power plant that supplies electricity, heat, and fuel that both military and civilian sides depend on. This may weaken the enemy's war effort but can also halt daily life.
Experts say the cost of rebuilding in Russia will be particularly high because data centers require rare materials that must be imported. Oleg Li Shkirov, a researcher in cyber policy and international security, stated, "Acquiring a large amount of equipment to replace what has been destroyed will not be easy," adding that most hardware will need to be imported, complicating matters with high global demand and sanctions on Russia.
After the latest attacks on Yandex data centers, users on the social media platform X reported a sudden decrease in automated bot activity. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used these reports to argue that the attacks have reduced social media toxins, even as independent researchers found no evidence that they specifically disrupted any Russian disinformation campaigns.
This complex situation poses a significant challenge to international humanitarian law. Kubo Machak, an expert in international humanitarian law, stated that for a data center to be recognized as a military target, it must meet two conditions: it must effectively contribute to military operations, and its destruction must provide a "distinct military advantage."
Targeting data centers seems to have become an important issue in the war, and given that these centers are increasingly vital to the national economy, they may become more targets.
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