# Russian Firms Seek Foreign Data Capacity Amid Escalating Infrastructure Strikes Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian data centers force firms to seek foreign alternatives. - **Source:** [The Kyiv Independent](https://kyivindependent.com) - **Published:** 2026-11-10 - **Topic:** [technology](https://brifing.si/c/technology) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/4df1785e-130e-43d6-8d9a-c2742803240f ## Escalating Digital Infrastructure Strikes Russian companies are increasingly seeking foreign data center capacity following a series of Ukrainian drone strikes. Attacks between October 8 and October 18 targeted three Yandex facilities, a Sberbank site, and a VK data center. These operations have significantly strained Russia's domestic market, where cloud resources are already 90% occupied. ## Migration and Backup Strategies According to ITGlobal.com, demand for foreign data centers, particularly in Kazakhstan, has risen noticeably over the past month. While some Russian firms are migrating services entirely to avoid domestic disruptions, others are utilizing foreign infrastructure solely to create backups for their existing systems, aiming to mitigate risks from ongoing military operations. ## Mandatory Government Capacity Reserves President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on November 2 requiring private data center operators to reserve 10% of their capacity for government use. The Digital Development Ministry can requisition this space within 24 hours. If operators lack available capacity, they are expected to disconnect non-priority clients to fulfill these state-mandated requirements. ## Enforcement and Force Majeure The ministry has proposed that operators pre-determine client priority to facilitate potential disconnections. Such actions will be classified as force majeure, exempting operators from liability toward affected customers. However, failing to comply with these reservation requirements may lead to the imposition of temporary management over the private data center facilities involved. ## Impact on AI and Technology The damage to major facilities like Yandex and Sberbank threatens Russia's long-term AI development and military technology programs. These sectors rely on shared computing resources and advanced chips. With Western sanctions complicating the replacement of destroyed hardware, the loss of domestic data capacity creates a significant bottleneck for critical national technological projects. ## State Control Over Infrastructure A late August decree allows the Russian state to introduce temporary management at critical infrastructure facilities that fail to protect themselves against security threats. This policy, combined with the new 10% reserve requirement, reflects a broader effort by authorities to centralize control over digital assets during the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. ## Operational Challenges for Providers Data center operators are currently working with the Digital Development Ministry to finalize implementation details for the new reserve mandates. While the ministry describes these measures as temporary, no specific end date has been established. Operators remain under pressure to balance state demands with the needs of their existing commercial client base. ## Broader Context of Conflict The targeting of digital infrastructure follows a pattern of mutual strikes between Russia and Ukraine. While Russia has targeted Ukrainian internet providers and food supply chains, Ukraine’s retaliatory drone strikes have forced Russian authorities to consider extreme measures, including the construction of underground data centers to protect vital national information resources. ## Sources covering this story - [Meduza English — Russian Data Centers Must Reserve Capacity for Government Services](https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/11/10/russian-data-center-operators-to-be-required-to-disconnect-non-priority-clients-to-keep-whitelisted-services-running) - [Source — Russian Firms Seek Foreign Data Centers Following Ukrainian Strikes](https://kyivindependent.com/russian-companies-seek-foreign-data-center-capacity-after-ukrainian-strikes/) - [The Moscow Times — Russian AI Infrastructure Strained by Ukrainian Data Center Strikes](https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/11/11/russias-ai-ambitions-take-a-hit-with-ukrainian-data-center-strikes-a94108) - [Slashdot — Ukrainian Strikes Cause Permanent Data Loss at Russia's Yandex Cloud](https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/26/11/11/1950231/ukraine-strikes-cause-permanent-data-loss-at-russias-yandex-cloud?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed) - [www.theregister.com - Articles — Yandex Confirms Data Loss Following Targeted Drone Strikes on Datacenters](https://www.theregister.com/off-prem/2026/11/12/russian-cloud-yandex-says-drone-attacks-on-its-datacenters-caused-data-loss/5309234) - [www.theregister.com - Articles — Yandex Confirms Data Loss Following Targeted Drone Attacks on Datacenters](https://www.theregister.com/off-prem/2026/11/12/russian-cloud-yandex-says-drone-attacks-on-its-datacenters-caused-data-loss/5309234) - [Source — Yandex Reports Data Loss Following Ukrainian Drone Strikes on Data Centers](https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/russias-google-says-nearly-3-percent-of-its-data-was-lost-after-crippling-ukraine-drone-strikes-opens-secret-availability-zones-yandex-cloud-blames-lack-of-user-backups-for-lost-data-now-forcibly-applies-backup-rules-by-default) --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._