Russia Moves Data Centers Underground After Drone Strikes

Russian data center operators are pushing to move servers underground after Ukrainian drone strikes damaged facilities that run AI computing and cloud services for millions of users, according to Ars Technica. President Vladimir Putin has also ordered data center owners to set aside backup capacity for the state, a move Ars Technica reports signals Kremlin concern about how exposed the country's cloud infrastructure has become during the war.

What has Ukraine hit so far?

Ukrainian drone strikes have degraded or knocked out data centers tied to Russian tech giant Yandex, state-owned bank Sberbank, social media platform VKontakte, and the Russian Ministry of Finance, Ars Technica reports, citing Russian and independent news coverage. The strikes land as Russia's own military has bombarded Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles and has specifically targeted Ukrainian data centers since late September, according to the same report.

Why is Russia talking about going underground?

State-owned telecom company Rostelecom has opened talks with mining company Norilsk about moving some data centers underground, according to the Russian newspaper Vedomosti, as cited by Ars Technica. Separately, industry publication Data Center Dynamics reported a regional governor's proposal to build data centers inside old open-pit coal mines and plant public parks on top as camouflage, per Ars Technica's account.

What does Putin's new decree require?

Putin signed a decree on November 2 ordering Russian data center operators to reserve 10 percent of their available space and computing capacity for government use if needed, according to independent outlet Meduza, as reported by Ars Technica. The decree also lets a special government commission, working with Russia's Federal Security Service, approve use of foreign data centers — a reversal of the country's "Sovereign Internet Law," which had barred Russian companies from relying on cloud infrastructure outside Russia's borders, Ars Technica reports.

How did this unfold?

• Late September 2026: Russian forces begin specifically targeting Ukrainian data centers, per Ars Technica.
• Recent months: Ukrainian drones strike back, disabling or disrupting data centers linked to Yandex, Sberbank, VKontakte and Russia's Finance Ministry.
• Recent weeks: Rostelecom and Norilsk discuss underground data centers; a regional governor floats coal-mine facilities with park cover, according to Vedomosti and Data Center Dynamics as cited by Ars Technica.
• November 2, 2026: Putin signs the decree reserving 10 percent of data center capacity for state use and permitting foreign data center use in limited cases, per Meduza.

What should readers watch next?

• Whether Rostelecom and Norilsk move from talks to an actual underground build-out.
• Whether other Russian regions adopt the coal-mine data center model described by Data Center Dynamics.
• How often Moscow invokes the new foreign-data-center exception, given the prior Sovereign Internet Law restrictions.
• Whether further Ukrainian strikes hit additional Russian financial or social media infrastructure tied to centralized providers like Yandex.

Key terms to know

• Sovereign Internet Law: Russian legislation that required domestic companies to keep cloud computing infrastructure inside Russia's borders.
• Data center: A facility housing servers that store data and run cloud or AI computing services.
• Federal Security Service (FSB): The Russian security agency now consulted on approvals to use foreign data centers under Putin's decree.

This report relies on reporting and translated Russian sourcing compiled by Ars Technica, which cites Vedomosti, Data Center Dynamics and Meduza. None of those secondary outlets were independently reviewed by HTT News for this article.