Russian companies seek foreign data center capacity after Ukrainian strikes

Russian companies are increasingly turning to foreign data center capacity, particularly in Kazakhstan, according to a Nov. 10 report by state-controlled Russian media outlet Kommersant. The demand surge is attributed to a series of data center strikes targeting Ukraine, which began with an attack on Kyiv's data infrastructure on Sept.

23. The strike damaged a Kyiv data center housing network equipment for internet provider UTELS, affecting cloud service Fex.net and disrupting internet access for around 100,000 households. Since then, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine's digital infrastructure. In response, Russian authorities have been considering underground data centers for additional protection.

The consequences of these strikes could severely impact Russia's AI development and military technology, as Yandex and Sberbank, both key players in Russia's AI sector, have been directly targeted. Western sanctions further complicate the situation by limiting access to necessary resources for replacement. In an effort to mitigate the impact, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Nov.

2, mandating privately owned data centers to reserve 10% of their capacity for Russian information resources, which can be requisitioned by authorities within 24 hours.