Russia's Defence Ministry says it struck data centres in Mykolaiv and Odesa
In short
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck the RX-NAME data centre in Mykolaiv with drones and a dry cargo ship delivering military cargo to Odesa port, as reported by Kommersant on 2 October. Two days later the ministry said drones hit the Nova Poshta logistics centre in Chornomorsk and a data centre in Odesa. TASS reported the ministry describing the strikes as a response to attempts by Volodymyr Zelensky to disrupt ПМЭФ and elections.
Why it matters
The targets described by the Defence Ministry are data centres and telecoms facilities that the ministry links to data processing, internet and mobile services, indicating a campaign against Ukraine's digital infrastructure rather than only website hosting. TASS presenting the strikes as retaliation for alleged attempts to disrupt ПМЭФ and elections frames them domestically as a response to Ukrainian actions. The documents offer no assessment of damage or of the effect on services in Ukraine.
Key facts
- Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces attacked the RX-NAME data centre in Mykolaiv with drones, and said Ukrainian forces used it to process data and host websites. [ 1 ]
- The ministry also said Russian forces hit a dry cargo ship that was delivering military cargo to Odesa port. [ 1 ]
- On 4 October the ministry said drones struck the Nova Poshta logistics centre in Chornomorsk and a data centre in Odesa. [ 2 ]
- The ministry said it struck communications facilities of Datagroup, Cosmonova, Kyivstar, Omega Telecom, Ukrtelecom, DreamLine, Bimobail and Parkovy in September, and the HOSTING-UA data centre on 1 October. [ 1 ]
- TASS reported the ministry saying the strikes were a response to attempts by Zelensky to disrupt ПМЭФ and elections. [ 3 ]
- Kommersant described a data centre as a node for processing and storing data linked to access to digital services, not only a place to host websites. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Russian Defence Ministry said the strikes were a response to attempts by Zelensky to disrupt ПМЭФ and elections. [ 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the reported strikes hit their targets or caused damage Every account in the documents comes from the Russian Defence Ministry or its press service; no Ukrainian or independent account of the results is cited.
- Whether the dry cargo ship bound for Odesa was carrying military cargo The claim is attributed to the Defence Ministry and no supporting detail is given.
- The basis for the claim that Zelensky tried to disrupt ПМЭФ and elections The TASS document carries only a headline, with no article text or feed summary.
- The effect of the strikes on Ukrainian internet, mobile and data services The documents set out the ministry's stated rationale for targeting data centres but give no assessment of the operational impact.
- Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck a data centre in Mykolaiv, the RX-NAME facility, using drones. Reported by a single source so far
- The ministry said drones struck the Nova Poshta logistics centre in Chornomorsk and a data centre in Odesa. Reported by a single source so far
- The ministry said Russian forces struck a dry cargo ship delivering military cargo to Odesa port. Reported by a single source so far
- The ministry said it hit a series of Ukrainian communications facilities in September and early October, including Datagroup, Cosmonova, Kyivstar, Omega Telecom, Ukrtelecom, DreamLine, Bimobail, Parkovy and HOSTING-UA. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Kommersant reports the Defence Ministry saying drones struck the RX-NAME data centre in Mykolaiv and that Russian forces hit a dry cargo ship delivering military cargo to Odesa port (2 October). [ 1 ]
- Kommersant reports the Defence Ministry saying drones struck the Nova Poshta logistics centre in Chornomorsk and a data centre in Odesa (4 October). [ 2 ]
- TASS reports the Defence Ministry saying the strikes were a response to attempts by Zelensky to disrupt ПМЭФ and elections (4 October). [ 3 ]