The Domino Effect: How Strikes on Data Centers Paralyze Russian Businesses
Kyiv • UNN
Ukrainian drones attacked the data centers of Yandex, Sberbank, and VK. Expert Oleksandr Hlushchenko explained that strikes on server infrastructure paralyze business processes and harm the Russian economy.
The massive attack by Ukrainian drones on St. Petersburg on the night of October 18 targeted an oil terminal, energy infrastructure, and a data center. After the strike, Russians began massively complaining about disruptions to the operation of the "VKontakte" social network. However, the consequences of further attacks on data centers could prove much more serious—from disruptions to banking payments to interference with the operation of businesses. Read about what this threatens for the Russian economy in the UNN article.
The Russians themselves effectively created the conditions under which their digital infrastructure is becoming vulnerable to such strikes. Russia spent years building a centralized digital system, moving an increasing number of services online, concentrating enormous amounts of data in large technology companies, and at the same time requiring that the personal data of Russian citizens be stored on Russian territory. In peacetime, this model makes it possible to centrally manage services, scale them, and control information flows. But during wartime, it creates serious risks. When a significant part of digital infrastructure is concentrated within a single state, and its operation depends on a limited number of large technology platforms, damage to individual elements can have consequences far beyond a single enterprise
In fact, this concerns a threat not only to social networks but also to the entire system of digital services on which Russians' daily lives depend. Data centers ensure the storage of enormous volumes of information and the operation of applications, cloud platforms, and financial and corporate services. Damage to such facilities can deprive companies of part of their computing capacity and users of access to their usual services.
Repeated strikes pose a particular danger. Large technology companies have backup data centers capable of taking over the load of damaged facilities. However, their capabilities are limited. If several complexes go offline at once, the load on the remaining ones increases, along with the risk of large-scale disruptions.
At a certain point, servers can no longer fully process all requests. Some services begin operating more slowly, others periodically become unavailable, and some operations end in errors. And the less reserve capacity remains, the harder it is for the system to withstand even ordinary technical failures
How will strikes on data centers affect the Russian economy?
The consequences of such disruptions will be felt most acutely by Russian businesses. Modern enterprises simultaneously depend on banking, cloud, logistics, and other digital services.
You may have goods, employees, and customers, but be unable to make a payment on time, process documents, or organize supplies. In other words, economic activity slows down not because the goods or enterprises themselves have disappeared, but because the mechanisms connecting them have stopped working properly
Why is it difficult for Russia to restore data centers?
Another problem for Russia is replacing damaged equipment. Data centers require not only servers but also complex information-storage systems, networking equipment, power-supply and cooling systems. Due to technological sanctions, purchasing the necessary components may turn into a lengthy and expensive process.
A data center cannot be restored simply because a company has enough money in its account. Servers, storage devices, network switches, optical equipment, power-supply systems, cooling systems, and other components are required
According to the expert's assessment, the additional costs of restoring the infrastructure may ultimately also be felt by Russians themselves. Technology companies will be forced to spend more money on equipment, reserve capacity, and maintenance. This creates the conditions for services to become more expensive for end consumers.
At the same time, several damaged data centers do not mean the immediate collapse of the Russian internet. Large companies have backup systems, but their capabilities are not unlimited.
This does not necessarily mean an immediate collapse, but it may mean a gradual degradation in the quality of digital services
Therefore, if the attacks continue, Russia’s main problem may no longer be the temporary unavailability of individual websites, but the gradual depletion of digital infrastructure, the increasingly costly restoration of that infrastructure, and growing risks for the entire economy.