BusinessNov 3, 2026, 7:49 AM UTC·2 min read

Russia orders data centers to reserve 10% of capacity for the state

A new presidential decree requires Russian data centers to set aside 10% of space and capacity for domestic information resources, and it also allows foreign facilities.

Rows of server racks inside a large data center hall lit by cool blue light. — Image: 3DNews - Daily Digital Digest

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Russian data centers will have to reserve 10% of their floor space and capacity to support domestic information resources. The requirement comes from presidential decree No. 802 of 2 November 2026, "On temporary measures to ensure the support of information resources operating in the Russian Federation", published on the official legal portal.

The reserve applies to data centers that are not owned by state or municipal bodies, and operators have ten days after the decree takes effect to set it aside. The capacity stays with the operators for their own use. However, a special government subcommission on digital development can order it handed over to support Russian information resources, and the operator must comply within 24 hours.

Safeguards and pricing

Any such decision must be coordinated with the Federal Security Service (FSB). Prices for the services cannot exceed a ceiling set by the subcommission. The government must create the subcommission and approve the procedure for deciding when reserve and foreign computing capacity can be used.

The decree also instructs the Ministry of Digital Development to take stock of free space and capacity at Russian data centers whose owners are not federal or regional authorities, local governments, or state or municipal enterprises and institutions.

Foreign data centers allowed

The document explicitly permits the use of foreign data centers to keep information resources running in Russia, citing "unfriendly actions of certain foreign states". The stated aim is uninterrupted operation of Russian services.

The move follows other steps affecting the sector. The Ministry of Digital Development has previously studied an additional charging mechanism for users' international mobile traffic. It has also proposed, as part of a planned telecom reform, routing all foreign traffic through technical threat-countermeasure systems and limiting its volume for Russian users.

For data center operators, the decree means a mandatory buffer of unused capacity that can be requisitioned at short notice and at capped prices. Many details, including how the subcommission will operate, still depend on government rules that have yet to be approved.