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War

Ukrainian partisans claim sabotage of military communications near major Moscow data center

• 2 min read
Ukrainian partisans claim sabotage of military communications near major Moscow data center
Photo for illustrative purposes: Lights on server racks at a data center inside the VK Company Ltd. office in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (Andrey Rudkov/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Agents of the Ukrainian partisan group Atesh said they disrupted Russian military communication lines around IXcellerate, one of Moscow's largest commercial data center operators, to interfere with Russian air-defense coordination and help Ukrainian drones reach their targets, the group said on Oct. 21.

"We are disabling the enemy's channels, disrupting command and control, and helping UAVs reach their targets," Atesh said.

The group claimed Russia's Defense Ministry uses infrastructure linked to IXcellerate for military communications and air-defense command systems, while concealing that traffic within civilian server networks.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claim, and Atesh did not provide details on the extent or duration of the disruption. There has been no public confirmation from Russian authorities or IXcellerate that military communications were affected.

IXcellerate operates several data centers across Moscow and describes itself as a leading commercial data center operator in Russia. Its facilities host telecommunications and other digital infrastructure used by banks, retailers, and business customers.

The partisan group has previously claimed sabotage operations against Russian military and defense-linked infrastructure inside Russia, including attacks on railway and energy facilities.

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Polina Moroziuk

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Polina Moroziuk is a junior reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She holds an MSc in Human Rights and Politics from the London School of Economics and a BSc from the University of Amsterdam. Before joining the newsroom, she worked in human rights advocacy and as a project assistant at a research and consultancy organisation, supporting projects for international organisations including UNICEF and War Child, with a focus on Ukraine and the Middle East.

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