Russia orders data centers to reserve 10% of capacity for state use

Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed privately operated data centers to make part of their computing resources available to government information systems. The directive requires affected facilities to reserve 10% of their capacity for when state digital services need additional resources.

According to Russian outlet Astra, the directive appeared on Russia’s official legal information website on November 2, 2026. Operators have 10 days to meet the requirement, but may continue using the reserved capacity in their ordinary business operations. A government subcommission will decide when the state can request access, and facilities must provide the requested resources within 24 hours.

Companies retain ownership and control of their facilities and will be paid for providing access. The responsible government body will set a ceiling on charges. The Ministry of Digital Development will assess data center space and computing resources nationwide and establish operating standards. Russian information services may still use computing resources abroad with approval from the Federal Security Service (FSB).

The directive comes amid pressure on Russian digital infrastructure. In October 2026, Ukrainian strikes hit three Yandex data centers in Russia, disrupting cloud platforms, stored information, database services and other online operations, according to the source. Separately, on October 16, Kremlin representative Kirill Dmitriev said Moscow and Washington were discussing joint data infrastructure proposals that could involve Russian nuclear power supplies.