Ukrainian drones have struck an AI data center operated by Russia's Google, part of a broader campaign targeting Russian digital infrastructure. Other affected services include a dating app, a real estate platform, a self-publishing site, and the website of the top Russian Premier League soccer club, according to Reuters. Data centers have become key wartime targets in 2026, following Iranian drone attacks on Amazon facilities in Bahrain and UAE after US-Israel strikes on Iran in February.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Russian missile and drone attacks have regularly targeted Ukraine's power grid, transportation hubs, and residential areas. Ukraine faces a shortage of interceptor weapons to counter Russian missiles and jet-powered drones. In response, Kyiv has expanded its medium- and long-range drone operations, hitting Russian military bases, supply lines, shipping in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea, and energy infrastructure like oil refineries.
In summer 2026, Ukraine also struck warehouses of Russian e-commerce giants Wildberries and Ozon. On October 5-6, coordinated drone strikes sank two commercial ships in the Black Sea within NATO members Romania and Bulgaria's exclusive economic zones, which President Zelenskyy attributed to Russia.
Source: Ars Technica · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing