Putin Decree Orders Russian Data Centers to Reserve 10% for State

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree requiring non-state data centers to reserve 10 percent of their capacity for government use, with just 24 hours' notice before the state claims it.

The decree, signed amid a wave of drone attacks on Russian data infrastructure, marks a direct state intervention into private hosting capacity. Multiple services have gone down after the strikes, which come in retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukrainian data centers, 12 years into Russia's invasion of the country.

Why has the state moved now?

Data centers have increasingly become targets in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian drones have struck Yandex data centers at least three times. Attacks have also hit facilities operated by the Russian bank Sberbank and the social media firm VK.

The strikes have taken down multiple services, exposing how much of Russia's digital infrastructure depends on a small number of private hosting sites. The decree responds to that exposure by giving the state a guaranteed claim on commercial capacity.

The requirement lands on private operators regardless of prior commitments. Every non-state facility in the country must now hold a tenth of its capacity ready for state use on one day's notice.

What does the decree instruct the government to do?

Putin directed the Digital Development Ministry to conduct a study of currently available capacity and floor space at privately owned data centers across Russia. That inventory will establish exactly how much computing power and physical space the state can call on under the new rules.

The decree also extends beyond Russia's borders. It allows the state to temporarily use data centers located in countries outside Russia, provided the FSB security service approves each arrangement.

In plain terms: the state can now count private server capacity at home as its own reserve, and foreign capacity too, if the FSB signs off.

What is happening in the market?

The decree arrives as Russian operators already pursue hardened infrastructure. Earlier this week, reports said the telecoms giant Rostelecom is in talks with Norilsk Nickel to develop underground data centers — facilities that would sit beyond the reach of drones.

The talks signal a shift toward physically protected hosting. For operators, the decree adds a new constraint: capacity that once served commercial customers must now stand idle for the state.

Three facts define the new arrangement:

• 10 percent — the share of capacity every non-state data center must reserve for government use
• 24 hours — the notice period before the state can claim reserved capacity
• FSB approval — the condition for using data centers located outside Russia

For private operators, the math is blunt: a tenth of sold capacity is now a state asset in waiting.

The capacity study ordered from the Digital Development Ministry will determine how large that reserve is in absolute terms. The answer will show whether Russia's private hosting sector can absorb the demand — or whether the state will need more than it can take.