Russian Data Centers Face Mandatory Security Upgrades as Ukraine Drone Strikes Intensify

Russian data center operators are bracing for significant cost increases after President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in late August requiring tighter physical protections for critical infrastructure, a response to Ukraine's expanding long-range drone campaign.

The decree, first reported by The Record citing Russian newspaper Kommersant, allows the government to temporarily seize control of critical infrastructure facilities if operators fail to adequately protect them — including from drone attacks.

The order covers a broad range of sectors, among them energy, telecommunications, transportation, and utilities. Russian media reports indicate data centers are also subject to the new rules, particularly those hosting systems used by government agencies, banks, and major service providers.

Nikita Tsaplin, chief executive of Russian hosting provider RUVDS, told Kommersant that some data centers have already begun reinforcing defenses around external engineering equipment.

The requirements present a particular geographic challenge. Russia had 181 data centers as of February, according to data from Russian brokerage BCS, with much of that capacity concentrated near Moscow and St. Petersburg — cities increasingly within reach of Ukrainian drone operations.

Data centers were not originally engineered to withstand aerial threats, local industry experts noted, and Ukraine's drone capabilities have grown substantially since the early phases of the war. As far back as 2023, Russian media reported that some companies were considering relocating data away from Moscow-area facilities to sites east of the Ural Mountains, in part because of drone risks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that Kyiv intends to further escalate pressure, stating the goal is to "close" Russia's skies and warning that drones will penetrate "on a scale that has to be taken into account."

The conflict has cut both ways for digital infrastructure. A strike in July damaged a major data center in Kyiv, forcing several local internet providers to fully or partially suspend operations. In January 2024, a cyberattack on a Ukrainian facility serving several state-owned companies disrupted its customers' operations.

Beyond physical hardening, Russian data center operators told Kommersant they also plan to strengthen cybersecurity measures — setting up backup communications, improving protection against distributed denial-of-service attacks, and tightening software vulnerability management.

Russia has tested a range of countermeasures against drone threats, including anti-drone nets, metal barriers, and smoke screens. In August, authorities reportedly began installing metal frameworks for anti-drone netting around electrical infrastructure in Moscow. A document leaked from Russian oil giant Rosneft acknowledged earlier this year that many of these defenses cannot guarantee facilities will remain safe from explosions or debris.

The combined cost of physical and digital upgrades is expected to flow through to end users. "For the industry, this will undoubtedly mean a significant increase in capital expenditures, which in the long term will inevitably affect the cost of IT infrastructure for end users," Tsaplin said.

With Ukraine signaling further escalation and Moscow tightening compliance requirements, Russian operators face a sustained period of elevated infrastructure spending — costs that analysts suggest will reshape pricing across the country's IT services market.