Russian ballistic strike destroys Datagroup data center in Kyiv; company says it cannot be restored
A Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv on the night of 19 October completely destroyed the Datagroup telecommunications company's data center. Datagroup said the facility cannot be restored and will not resume operations, though no company employees were injured and service to customers continues from backup sites. The same wave of strikes damaged a hospital diagnostic center, a metro station, residential buildings and energy facilities in ten oblasts, killing at least one person, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service.
Key points
- Russian ballistic strike on the night of 19 October destroyed the equipment and infrastructure of Datagroup's Kyiv data center.
- Datagroup stated the destroyed facility cannot be restored and will not resume operations.
- Datagroup continues to serve customers from reserve sites; no company employees were injured.
- Ukraine's State Emergency Service (ДСНС) reported at least 10 injured and 1 killed in the 19 October attack on Kyiv; damage was recorded in three districts.
- The blast wave blew out more than 200 windows at the Consultative-Diagnostic Center of Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 6, damaging doors, ceilings and medical equipment; the center suspended operations.
- The 19 October strike also hit energy facilities, causing power outages in ten oblasts, according to NEC Ukrenergo.
- Datagroup's data center had previously been damaged on 25 September; the company is part of the DVL group (Datagroup-Volia-lifecell) under French holding NJJ Holding since September 2024.
Why it matters
The Datagroup data center has been put out of service permanently, according to the company itself, raising sharp questions about the resilience of Ukraine's digital backbone. The attack is the latest and most damaging in a wave of Russian strikes on Kyiv data centers and internet providers that began in late September, several of which have already been knocked offline. The same strike damaged a hospital diagnostic center, a metro station, residential buildings and energy facilities in ten oblasts, underscoring the broad civilian cost of combined missile-and-drone attacks. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha publicly linked the targeting of data centers to an effort to disrupt Ukraine's air-raid alert systems. Because Datagroup is part of the DVL group combining Datagroup-Volia and the mobile operator lifecell, the loss has repercussions for one of Ukraine's biggest telecom holdings.
What happened
On the night of 19 October, Russia struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles in a combined attack that included drones and cruise missiles. The strike fully destroyed the equipment and infrastructure of the Datagroup telecommunications company's Kyiv data center. Datagroup stated on Facebook that restoration of the destroyed data center and its further operation are impossible; the company added that no employees were injured and that it continues to serve customers from reserve sites. This was the second hit on Datagroup's data center, which had already been damaged on 25 September. According to Ukraine's State Emergency Service (ДСНС), at least 10 people were injured and one person was killed in the attack, with damage recorded in three districts of Kyiv. In the Desnianskyi district, a non-residential building caught fire. In the Dniprovskyi district, a non-residential building, an educational institution and a metro facility were damaged. In the Solomianskyi district, a 25-storey residential building and the Consultative-Diagnostic Center of Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 6 were hit; the blast wave knocked out more than 200 windows and damaged doors, ceilings and medical equipment, leaving the premises practically total damage according to Mostepan, head of the Kyiv City Health Department. The center suspended operations, with no staff or patients injured, and staff being transferred to another branch. The Cosmo Multimall shopping and entertainment center in Solomianskyi was also damaged, its glass facade shattered. The attack also struck energy facilities, causing power outages in ten oblasts, according to NEC Ukrenergo.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All sources are Ukrainian outlets and uniformly attribute the destruction to a Russian ballistic attack on the night of 19 October, using strong terms such as 'cynical strike' and stressing that the facility cannot be restored. Coverage centers domestic institutional actors — the State Emergency Service (ДСНС), the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Datagroup's own Facebook statement — as authoritative voices on casualties, infrastructure damage and the intent behind the targeting. Ukrainian reporting frames the strike as part of a sustained Russian campaign against Ukraine's digital and energy infrastructure, with knock-on effects on a diagnostic hospital, metro stations, a mall, energy facilities in ten oblasts and a wave of earlier data-center hits since late September. Several outlets cite Sybiha's claim that Russia is targeting data centers to disrupt air-raid warning systems, while some also note President Zelenskyy's statement and Radio Liberty reporting that partners did not provide advance warning of the ballistic strike.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on the casualty figures from the 19 October attack on Kyiv: most Ukrainian outlets, citing the State Emergency Service (ДСНС), report at least 10 injured and 1 killed, while one summary reports 1 killed and 8 injured. There is also a minor discrepancy in dating the earlier attack on Datagroup's data center: most accounts name 25 September, while one source dates it to 25 September 2026.
Background
Datagroup was founded in 2003 from the merger of Datasat and Datakom, acquired Volia-Kabel in 2021 and became part of the DVL group (Datagroup-Volia-lifecell) in September 2024 under French holding NJJ Holding; in 2015 its data center was reportedly the third-largest in Ukraine. The 19 October strike was the second time Datagroup's data center was hit, after a 25 September attack that damaged the facility but spared staff and preserved client data. A broader wave of Russian strikes on Kyiv's digital infrastructure began around 23 September, when damage to providers' data centers left about 100,000 households in Kyiv and the region without internet, according to the Ministry of Digital Transformation. Between 23 and 28 September, at least six Kyiv data centers — including MiroHost, Parkovy, UTELS and Pavutyna — were damaged, with Parkovy ceasing operations on 1 October and Omega Telecom following on 6 October. On 26 September, the Cosmonova data center and the Kolo.TB internet provider were struck again (second and third hits respectively), temporarily affecting outlets including Novyny.Live, Pryamyi, Armia TV and the Suspilne website.