Ukraine has ordered government agencies to urgently strengthen their cybersecurity teams as Russian attacks increasingly target the country’s data centres, telecommunications networks and digital government systems.
Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said Russia is now attacking Ukraine’s digital infrastructure as systematically as it attacks the country’s energy network.
Around 10 data centres in Kyiv were damaged during September alone, according to the Ukrainian government.
Koretskyi also warned that cyberattacks using artificial intelligence are increasing against government information systems and Ukrainian businesses.
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Ten Kyiv Data Centres Damaged in September
Ukraine says Russian forces have increasingly expanded attacks beyond power plants and traditional military infrastructure.
Data centres, telecom facilities, logistics hubs and other digital infrastructure have become more frequent targets.
Koretskyi said around 10 data centres in the capital were damaged last month.
The figure reflects physical attacks on computing infrastructure rather than cyber intrusions alone.
Data centres contain servers that support websites, cloud platforms, government systems, financial services and communications.
Damage to those facilities can therefore create disruption far beyond the building itself.
Earlier Russian strikes have already affected Ukrainian telecom and internet infrastructure.
The420.in reported in September that Kyivstar’s headquarters was struck while Ukrainian officials also reported attacks on Vodafone Ukraine and other data-centre facilities.
Those incidents disrupted internet access for thousands of households and raised concerns about the resilience of Ukraine’s communications systems.
Government Agencies Told to Build Cybersecurity Teams
Koretskyi has now directed all executive authorities to urgently create dedicated cybersecurity teams.
Agencies have also been instructed to obtain security software and put protective systems into operation.
The government says its most important digital agencies already have the capability to defend against sophisticated attacks.
Koretskyi wants similar readiness across the rest of the public sector.
That reflects a shift from treating cybersecurity as primarily the responsibility of specialised agencies.
Ukraine now wants every government institution to develop its own defensive capability.
A successful attack on one ministry or public-service system can potentially expose sensitive data, interrupt services or provide attackers with access to other connected networks.
Distributed cybersecurity teams could make agencies less dependent on a small number of central security organisations.
Ukraine Warns of AI-Assisted Cyberattacks
The government also highlighted the growing use of artificial intelligence in cyber operations.
Koretskyi said attackers are increasingly using AI while targeting state information systems and Ukrainian businesses.
AI can help hackers automate several parts of an attack.
It can generate convincing phishing emails, analyse stolen information, search for weaknesses in software and automate parts of malware development or network reconnaissance.
That does not mean AI systems can independently compromise every target.
But automation can allow attackers to attempt more operations in less time.
Ukraine says its leading digital agencies are already using AI-supported tools to help detect and repel such attacks.
The growing use of AI on both sides turns cybersecurity into an increasingly automated contest between attackers and defenders.
Digital Infrastructure Becomes Part of the Battlefield
The latest warning follows months of expanding attacks on digital infrastructure in both Ukraine and Russia.
Ukraine has also targeted Russian data centres.
The420.in recently reported strikes against Yandex facilities that disrupted cloud computing and put AI infrastructure at risk.
The escalation illustrates how modern wars increasingly involve the physical infrastructure behind digital services.
Data centres are no longer simply commercial buildings.
They can support government communications, banking, emergency alerts, logistics and military operations.
Destroying or disabling them can therefore affect economic activity and civilian life even without attacking a traditional military base.
Russia has described some of its infrastructure targets as supporting Ukraine’s military.
Ukraine, meanwhile, says attacks on communications and data centres are intended to weaken civilian services and the wider economy.
Independent verification of the military role of every individual facility remains difficult during an active conflict.
Winter Raises the Stakes for Digital Resilience
The pressure is increasing as winter approaches.
Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure while continuing strikes against logistics and digital systems.
That creates a combined resilience challenge.
A power outage can disable telecom and data-centre infrastructure even if those facilities are not directly struck.
At the same time, damage to digital systems can make it harder to coordinate repairs, distribute information and maintain public services during electricity disruptions.
Ukraine therefore needs redundancy across both energy and communications systems.
Backup electricity, distributed data centres, alternative internet connections and protected cloud systems can reduce the impact when one facility is damaged.
Cybersecurity teams also need offline backups and recovery plans because not every threat comes from missiles or drones.
The October 23 directive suggests Kyiv increasingly sees cyber defence and physical infrastructure protection as part of the same national resilience problem.
What this means for you:
The Ukraine conflict shows that data centres, cloud systems and telecom networks can become strategic targets alongside power plants. Governments and businesses increasingly need backup systems that can survive both cyberattacks and physical disruption.
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