Russian ministry recommends underground data centers following Ukrainian drone strikes
on Google
Russia's Digital Development Ministry has proposed building data centers underground, camouflaged from the air, and fitted with drone defenses, Russian state-controlled media Kommersant said on Oct. 25, following several Ukrainian drone attacks on data centers.
Guidelines for existing, planned, and under-construction facilities outline the protection standards for three tiers of data centers, including whether sites are placed above ground or underground, according to Kommersant.
The top tier includes strategic sites whose loss could disrupt key state functions for an hour or more; the second tier includes sites supporting regionally or economically important systems, where outages could last four hours or more; and the final tier covers corporate data centers whose damage would not have wider consequences for the state, Kommersant said.
Existing data centers should be protected by reducing their visibility from the air and by deploying layered defenses, including reinforced structures, electronic warfare measures, and drone defense systems.
The announcement came after Ukrainian drones struck three Yandex data centers, a Sberbank facility under construction, and a data center belonging to social media giant VK between Oct. 8 and Oct. 18.
Russia's centralized digital infrastructure leaves Moscow facing two challenges: inflicting comparable damage on Ukraine and protecting its own data centers from further strikes. Serhiy Petrenko, former head of Yandex Ukraine, estimated that around 80% of Russia's data centers are concentrated in Moscow and the surrounding region — within reach of Ukrainian long-range drones.
The consequences of Ukraine's strikes on Russian data centers could extend far beyond disrupted banking and online services, potentially setting back the country's AI development and affecting military technology.
On Oct. 16, Kemerovo Oblast governor Ilya Seredyuk proposed housing data centers inside depleted open-pit mines and quarries, given their natural protection from aerial bombardment.
