Putin Signs Emergency Decree Allowing Russian Companies to Use Foreign Data Centers

According to TechRadar, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed an emergency decree allowing domestic companies to temporarily use overseas data centers. This policy shift follows a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's own data center infrastructure, aimed at mitigating service disruptions caused by physical damage to key facilities.

The context for this adjustment is the tangible impact on critical digital assets. Reports indicate that three major Yandex facilities across Sasovo, Kaluga, and Vladimir were impacted, taking some Yandex services offline as well as other services operated by third parties through Yandex's infrastructure. Yandex is responsible for three major supercomputers, one of which was ranked 19th globally in a 2021 study, playing a crucial role in model training. While believed to be intact, their operational status has been severely challenged.

Crucially, the decree does not represent a complete opening of data borders. Companies cannot simply abandon homegrown data centers; any arrangements require government approval, likely assessing the availability of domestic compute before granting permission. Additionally, operators must reserve 10% of their capacity for emergency government use, available at just 24 hours' notice if needed.

To address future threats, Russia is also exploring extreme physical protection measures. State-owned telecoms company Rostelcom is reportedly in discussions with mining company Norilsk, while one governor has suggested building data centers inside open-pit coal mines to shield them from drones. These developments highlight how digital infrastructure has become a primary target in modern warfare and underscore the practical difficulties facing Russia's push for 'digital sovereignty.'