Military expert and retired first-rank captain Vasily Dandykin believes Ukrainian forces use civilian internet-provider infrastructure, including for secure communications channels.
He said strikes on such facilities can disrupt data exchange between Ukrainian units and, in his assessment, help Russian forces advance on the battlefield.
Dandykin added that the effects of attacks on internet providers are felt directly on the ground. He also suggested that such strikes could continue and may increasingly take place during the day as well as at night, linking this possibility to what he described as a weakening of Ukrainian air defenses.
A day earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported strikes on the New-Telco and United DC data centers in Kiev. The ministry said New-Telco had been one of the key internet traffic exchange hubs used by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, while United DC supported international communications channels for Ukrainian intelligence services.
On September 24, Ukrainian media also reported damage to KIEVNET, DOMONET and FAUST/Fast Net infrastructure in Kiev. They also said a data center operated by Ukrainian hosting provider MiroHost had been destroyed.