{
  "id": 15713151,
  "title": "Russian retailers seek emergency operating rules for outages following data center attacks, plus permission to store data in ‘friendly’ countries",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/russian-retailers-seek-emergency-operating-rules-for-outages",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-20T07:05:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/10/20/russian-retailers-seek-emergency-operating-rules-for-outages-following-data-center-attacks-plus-permission-to-store-data-in-friendly-countries"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Russian retailers are seeking special legal provisions for dealing with outages in state information systems, following attacks by Ukrainian drones on data centers of Yandex and Sberbank, according to a letter sent by the Association of Internet Trade Companies (AKIT) to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The proposal, detailed in the letter, would allow retailers to store data that cannot be transmitted immediately and resend it once the infrastructure is back online. The letter also suggests implementing backup methods for data transmission and exempting retailers from penalties for missed deadlines during an emergency period. Additionally, AKIT believes Russia should temporarily permit storing and processing personal data in \"friendly\" countries, as currently, such data can only be processed and stored within Russia. The proposal comes after the attacks on the retail sector, though the group asserts that while outages occurred, they did not cause significant disruption at the time. Rusprodsoyuz, representing major food producers, reported that isolated outages led to some companies halting operations and switching to paper records. The Economy Ministry and the Finance Ministry have stated that AKIT's letter will be reviewed following established procedures.",
  "summary": "Russian retailers want a special legal regime that would take effect during mass outages in state information systems, known as GIS, according to the Russian business daily Kommersant. The proposal appears in a letter that the Association of Internet Trade Companies, or AKIT, sent to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.",
  "key_points": [
    "Russian retailers seek special legal provisions for data center outages.",
    "Proposal allows storing data in 'friendly' countries temporarily.",
    "Retailers propose backup methods and deadline exemptions during emergencies."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Seeking exemptions from data localization laws and service penalties signals a shift toward prioritizing operational continuity over strict digital sovereignty as infrastructure becomes increasingly vulnerable to external attacks.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}