Russia plans to bury data centers underground due to attacks by Ukrainian drones

Maksut Shadayev, Russia’s Minister of Digital Development, stated that Russian companies should move their data centers underground rather than relocate them abroad. 

According to him, the Ministry of Digital Development has already called on businesses to build secure underground facilities.

 In late October, the ministry published recommendations on protecting data centers from Ukrainian attacks. In particular, it recommends locating strategically important facilities underground, in rock formations, or in bunkers; reinforcing their structures; creating data backups; and coordinating with law enforcement agencies.

In October, Ukrainian drones attacked facilities associated with Yandex, VK, Sberbank, and the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation. As a result of the strikes, widespread disruptions were reported in government services, online banking, taxi services, and delivery services.

At the same time, the construction of underground data centers costs 30–40% more than conventional facilities. According to estimates by iKS-Consulting, the average cost is 1.2–1.3 billion rubles per 1 MW of IT load, while an underground facility requires significantly higher expenses due to waterproofing, ventilation, fire suppression, and evacuation systems.

Experts predict that by 2031, Russia could build between 5 and 10 such data centers, each with a capacity of 5–10 MW.

The Russian company Yandex has moved all three of its supercomputers (“Lyapunov,” “Galushkin,” and “Chervonenkis”) to new computing sites following a series of attacks by Ukrainian drones. The company’s press office claims that the equipment was not damaged during the strikes.

On the night of October 11, drones attacked Yandex’s data center in Russia’s Vladimir Oblast. The company confirmed that operations there had come to a complete halt, causing widespread disruptions to dozens of digital services across the country.

The Russian technology company Yandex stated that it had completely shut down its data center in Russia’s Vladimir Oblast due to the drone attack. According to the company, its infrastructure was damaged as a result of the attack.