Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a tough statement in response to targeted strikes by the Russian army on civilian objects of critical digital infrastructure. Speaking at a joint briefing with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Kyiv on October 4, 2026, the Ukrainian leader emphasized the absurdity and inhumanity of attacks on data centers and mobile communication nodes.

Attack on digital infrastructure and the logic of escalation

According to the head of state, Russia is deliberately choosing targets that have nothing to do with military logistics or the military-industrial complex. Server capacities and telecommunication networks that meet the basic needs of millions of civilians are being subjected to strikes. Zelenskyy asked a rhetorical question about whether the enemy expects impunity while destroying the communication system.

«Do they really think we won't respond? This is definitely not some kind of military infrastructure. How can you hit data centers, mobile communications? How are people supposed to call?» said the President of Ukraine, emphasizing the absurdity of the situation, since uninterrupted communication is needed by people on both sides of the border.

Contradictory data

While official Kyiv insists on the targeted destruction of Ukraine's digital sovereignty and depriving the population of internet access, the Russian side in its official reports traditionally claims strikes exclusively on military facilities and energy enterprises supporting the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, independent experts and international observers record large-scale disruptions in the work of providers, which confirms the words of the Ukrainian leadership about the destruction of civilian data centers.

Expert assessment and consequences

The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine and relevant agencies have repeatedly warned that threats to digital and energy communications will remain critically high until the active phase of hostilities ends. Earlier, Prime Minister of Ukraine Serhiy Koretskyi also stated the need to prepare the population for scenarios of temporary blackouts and network access restrictions in the conditions of constant enemy shelling.