Russia Threatens Temporary Control of Data Centers Without 10% Reserve

How the reserve would work

According to Shadayev's presentation, the 10% reserve is planned for information systems on a so-called whitelist. If an operator cannot build the required volume from free resources, it must determine in advance which lower-priority clients can be switched off to free up capacity.

Freed resources may not be handed to other tenants. If a client already occupies the needed space or power, the operator must warn it to vacate within 24 hours. Under the decree, the reserved capacity must be made available within a day of the subcommission's decision.

Temporary management as a penalty

Shadayev pointed to a separate presidential decree dated 24 August. It allows temporary management of a company's property if it fails to take necessary measures to secure critical infrastructure facilities, endangers their operation, or restores their functioning late.

Critical infrastructure covers communications, energy, industry, transport and other systems whose disruption could affect important sectors. The government decides on temporary management on the president's instruction. Rosimushchestvo becomes the manager unless the government names another party.

For operators, the decree means planning spare capacity and a list of clients who could be cut off at short notice, with the risk of losing control of their assets if they fall short.