Russian drone strike hits Kyiv data centers, disrupts internet for 100,000 subscribers
On 23 September 2026, a large Russian drone attack on Kyiv struck several data centers and civilian infrastructure, killing two people, injuring more than 40, and cutting internet service for roughly 100,000 subscribers. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha framed the data centers as civilian infrastructure and called on partners for more sanctions and missile interceptors.
Key points
- On 23 September 2026, Russian drones struck data centers in Kyiv hosting UTELS and Pavutyna network equipment, with the Parkovy congress-exhibition center hit twice.
- Approximately 100,000 subscribers in Kyiv and the region lost internet access, according to the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
- Crazy Network reported outages for subscribers in Kyiv, Vinnytsia and Khmelnytskyi oblast; Pavutyna said nearly half its network was affected before being restored on backup equipment.
- Russian MOD claimed it deliberately struck the NewTelco and United DC data centers, saying they serviced military and intelligence traffic; Ukraine describes them as civilian infrastructure.
- The nighttime drone wave included 161 drones, 82 of them jet-powered Shahed-type; Ukrainian air defence said it destroyed or suppressed 122, with hits recorded at 18 locations.
- Two people were killed and more than 40 injured in the broader attack on Kyiv; hits were reported near the railway station, at the Darnytsia pharmaceutical plant, gas stations, warehouses and a college building.
- Sybiha said the attacks occurred during the 81st UN General Assembly session focused on peace efforts, hours after Zelenskyy's talks with Donald Trump in New York.
Why it matters
The strikes targeted civilian digital infrastructure that carries everyday services and, reportedly, the systems that deliver air-raid and missile warnings to the population. Cutting connectivity for around 100,000 subscribers during a mass drone attack raised the cost of any gap in those alert systems. The timing — hours after Zelenskyy–Trump talks on de-escalation and on the day the UN General Assembly focused on peace efforts — sharpened the diplomatic backdrop and gave Ukraine a platform to press for more sanctions and air-defence interceptors.
What happened
On 23 September 2026, Russia launched a large drone attack on Kyiv and other targets in Ukraine. Ukrainian air defence said it destroyed or suppressed 122 of 161 drones launched overnight, with 82 of them jet-powered Shahed-type, but hits were recorded at 18 locations. In Kyiv, drones struck data centres hosting UTELS node equipment and equipment belonging to the Pavutyna network, as well as the Parkovy congress-exhibition centre, which houses a large data centre and was hit twice — once during the day and once in the evening. Crazy Network said a missile hit a central traffic-exchange data centre, cutting off subscribers in Kyiv, Vinnytsia and Khmelnytskyi oblast before service was restored; Pavutyna reported that nearly half its network went down before being brought back on backup equipment. The Ministry of Digital Transformation said about 100,000 subscribers in Kyiv and the region lost internet access. Other strikes hit facilities near the Kyiv railway station, the Darnytsia pharmaceutical plant, Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) infrastructure, warehouses, two gas stations, a business centre and a building initially reported as a college or university (later identified by hromadske as the Dniprozvyazok industry institute in the Solomyanskyi district, where the canteen caught fire). Two people were killed and more than 40 were injured, with at least 21 hospitalized and three in serious condition. The same evening, Ukraine agreed to an immediate and full ceasefire while 51 UN member states called on Russia to do the same.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian sources centre the story on civilian harm: deaths, injuries, fires and the disruption to communications and to air-raid alert delivery. Coverage emphasises the diplomatic timing — strikes during the UN General Assembly's peace-focused 81st session and shortly after Zelenskyy's talks with Donald Trump in New York — to argue that Russia is undermining peace efforts even as diplomacy is under way. Ukrainian officials, in particular Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, frame the data centres as civilian infrastructure critical to daily life and to the delivery of missile and drone warnings, and use the attacks to call for more sanctions and more air-defence interceptors. Public reaction is also surfaced, including a serving soldier-tennis player's emotional call on social media for strikes on Russia.
Where reporting differs
Russia's Ministry of Defense said it deliberately struck the NewTelco and United DC data centres in Kyiv and claimed they serviced traffic of Ukrainian military and intelligence services. Ukrainian framing — including Foreign Minister Sybiha — describes the data centres as civilian infrastructure and not a military target. On a separate point, early reports described a damaged building in the Solomyanskyi district as a university; hromadske later reported it was the Dniprozvyazok industry institute, with the canteen catching fire and nearby buildings damaged.
Background
The overnight drone wave included 161 drones, 82 of them jet-powered Shahed-type; Ukrainian air defence said it destroyed or suppressed 122, with hits recorded at 18 locations. In the evening of the same day, Ukraine agreed to an immediate and full ceasefire while 51 UN member states called on Russia to do the same. Ukrainian tennis player Oleksandr Dolgopolov, who serves in the Armed Forces, posted footage of the shelling on X and called for strikes on Moscow and Russia, reflecting broader public sentiment.