Russia is carrying out the world’s first war aimed at destroying a country’s internet — in this case, Ukraine’s. However, experts say Ukraine is managing to fight back successfully.
Since the early days of Russia’s attacks, the Kremlin has bombed communication towers and data centers in an effort to cut Ukraine off from the internet and the outside world.
Even though many parts of Ukraine’s internet system have been hit by missiles and drones, teams of skilled engineers have been quick to repair the damage each time. Simon Angus, a top expert on internet-tracking technology at Monash University in Australia, says their work has been extraordinary.
Professor Angus and his team have built an advanced system called the IP Observatory. It tracks internet connections across Ukraine and the rest of the world. The system operates non-stop, monitoring over 400 million internet devices on five continents.
With the help of artificial intelligence, the observatory can quickly spot and report sudden changes or problems in internet connectivity.
From thousands of miles away, Angus’s system can identify the exact targets of Russian attacks, including those launched by missiles, fighter jets, and drones.
When Russia first invaded, the observatory recorded sudden drops in internet activity in cities like Kyiv and Kharkiv. A week later, the city of Mariupol lost all internet connections just before Russian forces destroyed much of it.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was also cut off from the internet after Russian troops took control, isolating it from the rest of the world.
Despite these assaults, Ukraine’s engineers and digital defenders continue to restore connections—proving that even in a war aimed at breaking communication, resilience can still win.
Professor Angus said that his observatory no longer shares real-time reports on internet outages in Ukraine. This is because the Russian military could use that information to check how effective their missile attacks are.
“We don’t publish updates about the internet situation there anymore,” he explained, “unless it’s really necessary — for example, our report on the Zaporizhzhia power plant — because this data could be used as military intelligence.”
Russia’s strategy to destroy Ukraine’s internet is similar to Adolf Hitler’s information war in World War II. Back then, the Nazis banned people from listening to foreign radio stations, threatening them with death, while spreading propaganda that praised Hitler and his vision for a “new world order.”
Professor Angus said Ukrainian students, lawyers, and human rights workers are using the internet as a “liberation tool.” They are documenting their resistance and filming war crimes — from mass killings of civilians to drone attacks on priests and journalists.
These citizen-made videos and reports have created strong global support for Ukraine — from Western lawmakers to anonymous hackers who have joined Ukraine’s “IT Army” to fight Russia online.
Professor Angus also talked about the humanitarian mission of the IP Observatory and its work with the United Nations.
“For years, we’ve been a data partner of the UN Human Rights Office,” he said. His team sends reports about damaged internet facilities in Ukraine to the UN for monitoring.
Putin’s goal to bring Ukraine back under Russian control has gone hand in hand with his takeover of Russian media and the blocking of Facebook, X (Twitter), BBC, and Radio Free Europe. He appears to be building a Soviet-style propaganda system.
The missile strikes on Ukraine’s internet could eventually be added to the war crimes charges already filed against Putin at the International Criminal Court.
“Access to the internet is now seen as a human right,” Professor Angus said. “When the internet is shut down by authoritarian governments, serious human rights abuses can happen unseen. That’s why recording these shutdowns is so important.”
The IP Observatory’s reports, he added, are used by the UN to confirm internet problems reported by their teams in over 150 countries. “What the UN does with that information,” he said, “is always aimed at protecting human rights.”
Even as Russia increases its missile and drone attacks, Professor Angus noted how surprisingly strong Ukraine’s internet has remained.
“This is thanks to the amazing work of Ukrainian engineers,” he said. “They repair cables and power lines quickly, even under very dangerous conditions.”
Another reason for this resilience is support from companies like SpaceX and Intelsat/SES, which provide satellite internet to people in war zones.
“Satellite internet is a big help,” said Angus. “It can keep people connected when local networks are destroyed, and it’s useful for both civilians and the military.”
Published: 1st November 2025
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