Russian attack damages Kyiv data center, disrupting internet for 100,000 households

Russian attack drones struck Kyiv and the surrounding region several times on September 23. Two people were killed in the capital and 37 residents were injured, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and the State Emergency Service said.

The attack damaged a Kyiv data center containing core equipment used by internet provider UTELS. The Digital Ministry said internet problems affected about 100,000 households in Kyiv and the region.

The ministry said specialists were assessing the damage and repairing the network. Authorities warned that temporary disruptions to communications and access to services could occur across Ukraine.

Damaged networks and services

Some customers of UTELS and Pavutyna reported losing internet access. BBC sources said a nationwide clinic network also lost access to its administrative system, preventing appointments and access to patient histories; no restoration time was given.

The strikes also damaged transport and civilian infrastructure. Sites affected in Kyiv included a data center, fuel stations, warehouses, railway facilities, the Darnytsia pharmaceutical plant and the Parkovy exhibition center; fires were later extinguished.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 161 attack drones; Ukrainian air defenses shot down or suppressed 122, while impacts were recorded at 18 locations. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the targets included a storage facility for materials used to make drones and an industrial plant producing drone components.

Consequences were recorded in four districts of Kyiv region. Three men were injured in Bucha district, where 14 sites were damaged; further damage was reported in Obukhiv, Fastiv and Vyshhorod districts.