Putin orders 10% data center capacity reserve for Russian state use
A new government commission can claim the reserved capacity, which must be available within 24 hours of notification.
A decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 2 requires data centers in Russia to set aside 10% of their capacity to support government IT infrastructure. Reuters reported that the measure allows state agencies to rapidly draw on privately owned facilities.
The authority to claim that capacity rests with a newly created government commission. Data centers must provide access to the reserved resources within 24 hours after receiving government notification.
The decision follows Ukrainian long-range drone attacks targeting Russian data centers. A Yandex facility in Vladimir Oblast was targeted on Oct. 16. After an earlier strike there on Oct. 11, Yandex said it had halted all operations at the site.
Russian state-controlled media reported on Oct. 25 that Russia's Digital Development Ministry had proposed placing data centers underground, concealing them from aerial detection and adding defenses against drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had threatened attacks on Russian data centers in response to Moscow's strikes against Ukraine's internet infrastructure. Russian attacks in late September hit Kyiv internet providers and data centers, interrupting service for around 100,000 households.
