Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered private data center operators to reserve 10% of their capacity for potential use under government direction.
The decree, signed Nov. 2 and published on Russia’s official legal portal, establishes a mechanism allowing authorities to request reserved resources from non-state data centers. Operators have 10 days from the decree’s entry into force to meet the requirement.
A newly established government subcommission will have the authority to claim that reserved capacity when needed. Once a decision is made, operators must provide access within 24 hours. The decree also permits temporary use of computing capacity located outside Russia, subject to approval by the Federal Security Service, or FSB.
The measure gives Russian authorities a more direct role in allocating privately operated digital infrastructure, raising questions about how data center companies will manage capacity, costs, and service commitments.
Drone strikes prompt action
The order follows a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian data centers in October. Yandex, Russia’s largest technology company, saw three of its facilities targeted. Two were shut down, disrupting services for businesses and consumers. Sberbank and VK data centers were also struck, though their operations reportedly continued.
The decree’s preamble describes the measures as an urgent response to the actions of foreign states, although the extent to which the reported drone attacks influenced the decision remains unclear.
Beyond the immediate security context, the order gives Russian authorities a formal mechanism to access capacity operated by private companies. That could reduce operators’ flexibility to allocate resources entirely according to commercial demand.
The 24-hour compliance requirement is particularly significant. Data center operators may need to maintain sufficient technical and operational readiness to provide reserved capacity on short notice, potentially complicating existing hosting arrangements and capacity planning.
What the decree could mean for data center operators
For private data center operators in Russia, the new requirement could complicate capacity planning and commercial hosting arrangements.
Reserving a portion of infrastructure for potential government use may limit how much capacity operators can commit to paying customers. The actual financial and operational impact will depend on how the reservation requirement is implemented, whether the government activates the reserved resources, and what compensation arrangements apply.
Businesses relying on third-party hosting may face degraded performance with little warning. However, the decree does not establish that existing customers will experience slower services or outages.
The provision allowing temporary use of computing resources outside Russia, subject to FSB approval, adds another consideration for operators with international infrastructure. Its practical implications will depend on how authorities interpret and enforce the requirement.
For Russia’s technology sector, the longer-term question is how much flexibility private operators will retain as the government assumes a greater role in directing data center resources. The policy’s effects on costs, service availability, and investment will become clearer as implementation begins.
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