ATESH claims disruption of Russian military communications near Moscow data center
Agents of the ATESH movement said they disrupted Russian military communications and command systems around the IXcellerate data center in Moscow. The center supports major civilian services and is reported to be used by Russia’s Defense Ministry, including for command-and-control and air-defense operations. ATESH published videos of its operations and said the disruption was intended to assist drones in reaching their targets.
Key points
- ATESH agents claimed they disrupted Russian military communications around Moscow’s IXcellerate data center.
- IXcellerate is described as one of Moscow’s largest commercial data centers.
- The facility supports banking applications, card payments, telecommunications and business services.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry is reported to use IXcellerate infrastructure for command-and-control systems and air-defense operations.
- ATESH said it was disabling enemy communications, interfering with command systems and helping drones reach their targets.
- ATESH agents said they identify facilities that conceal military traffic and disrupt enemy communications.
- ATESH published videos of its operations through its Telegram channel.
Why it matters
IXcellerate is reported to support both Russian military systems and essential civilian services. Disruption of stable communications could impair air-defense coordination, delay targeting and reduce the ability to respond to attacks, while also affecting banking, payments, telecommunications and business services.
What happened
Agents of the ATESH military movement of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars claimed they disrupted Russian military communications and command systems around IXcellerate, a major commercial data center in Moscow. The movement said it was disabling enemy communication channels, interfering with command systems and helping drones reach their targets. It also said it was identifying sites that conceal military traffic. ATESH published videos of its operations through its Telegram channel, but the claims were not independently verified in the supplied material.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reports emphasize the claimed role of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar agents, the alleged disruption of Russian military communications and the broader military significance of data-center infrastructure. They also point to possible civilian consequences and refer to earlier attacks on Russian data centers.
Background
IXcellerate is described as one of Moscow’s largest commercial data centers. Reported military use of its infrastructure includes command-and-control systems and air-defense operations. Earlier Ukrainian drone attacks reportedly targeted data centers associated with Sberbank, Yandex and VKontakte; after attacks on Yandex facilities, internet traffic reportedly fell by 94%, causing widespread disruption to online services.