Data Centers Are Becoming Wartime Targets as Russia-Ukraine Conflict Escalates

Other affected Russian services include a dating app, a real estate aggregator, a book self-publishing platform, and the website of the most successful professional soccer club in the Russian Premier League, Reuters reported.

Data centers emerge as targets in 2026 conflicts

The targeting of data centers is the latest example of digital infrastructure becoming a wartime target in 2026. After the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February, Iranian drones destroyed several Amazon data centers in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his first full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has regularly carried out large-scale missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities. Those attacks have targeted power-grid infrastructure, transportation hubs, and even apartment buildings.

Ukraine expands long-range drone operations

Ukraine has recently faced a shortage of interceptors capable of shooting down Russian missiles and jet-powered drones. At the same time, the Ukrainian military has gradually increased its own medium- and long-range drone strikes in response to Russian attacks.

Ukrainian drone operations have focused on Russian military bases and supply lines, Russian-linked shipping in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, and Russian energy infrastructure, including oil refineries. During the summer of 2026, Ukraine also targeted multiple warehouses operated by Russian companies Wildberries and Ozone, the Russian equivalent of Amazon.

Commercial ships sunk in the Black Sea

In a sign that the war could escalate further, two commercial ships were sunk by coordinated air and sea drone strikes on October 5 and 6. The attacks occurred within the exclusive economic zones of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy blamed Russia for the strikes.