Russia Strikes Kyiv Communications and Data Centers; NATO Condemns Nuclear Rhetoric

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said preliminary information showed debris had been found at the premises of one Western embassy in central Kyiv. He did not name the embassy and said emergency services were heading to the site, according to The Guardian. The report followed a night of Russian drone attacks that damaged energy facilities and other civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it targeted a communications centre and energy facilities in Kyiv, as well as port infrastructure in Izmail. Ukraine’s air force said Russian forces intensified strikes on Kyiv and other cities overnight by launching a mix of anti-ship and ballistic missiles, as well as dozens of jet-powered drones, which Ukrainian air defenses have struggled to intercept, CNBC reported.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it struck several targets in Kyiv on Tuesday, including a locomotive depot housing a warehouse of FP-5 Flamingo ground-based missiles and their components. It also said it hit the Bi-mobile data center, which it described as one of Kyiv’s main internet exchange points, and the Parkovy data center. CNBC reported that Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s data centers and internet providers in recent days, seeking to disrupt the flow of information.

Ukrainian officials have expressed deep concern over the attacks and said there is an urgent need for the country to be able to respond rapidly to missile and drone threats. Ukraine has sought to raise the cost of Russia’s more than four-and-a-half-year war by targeting Russian oil refineries and logistics hubs.

Neighboring Poland issued a high-readiness emergency alert to residents of its south-eastern region and scrambled military aircraft to monitor the situation, The Guardian reported.

The overnight strikes were accompanied by a renewed diplomatic dispute between NATO and Russia. NATO on Tuesday denounced Russia’s nuclear threats after publicly acknowledging a tense exchange with Moscow. The alliance said it made clear to Moscow that it is a “defensive alliance” and that none of its activities or exercises “pose a risk to any part of Russia.”

NATO was responding to a warning issued by the Russian Embassy in Belgium on Monday that accused the alliance of escalating the situation around Kaliningrad, a small Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. The embassy said NATO’s “reckless and irresponsible” approach regarding the strategic outpost heightened the risk of a direct military confrontation. It added that Moscow was ready to use its entire military arsenal if NATO tried to block the region, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

“We strongly denounce the threat of force, including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. We call on Russia to end its unprovoked war in Ukraine,” a NATO spokesperson said in a statement shared with CNBC. “Russia’s use of hybrid tactics is a sign of desperation. But we will not be dissuaded from our support to Ukraine. We have what it takes to defend every inch of Allied territory and remain strong, ready, and able to counter any threat,” the spokesperson added.

The exchange reaffirmed the deep tensions in diplomatic relations since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.