Russia Weighs Giving Digital Ministry Lead Role in AI Rollout
Russia's government is reviewing a draft decree that would make the Ministry of Digital Development responsible for coordinating AI adoption, alongside IT mortgage funding.
The Russian government is set to consider a draft decree that would expand the powers of the Ministry of Digital Development, known as Mintsifry, in artificial intelligence. According to the cabinet's press office, the ministry could be tasked with coordinating the adoption of AI technologies across the country.
The amendments would be made to the government resolution of 2 June 2008, which approved the regulations governing the ministry. The cabinet is due to review the draft, which adds to the ministry's list of functions, at its meeting on 3 November.
IT mortgage funding on the same agenda
The same session includes a separate item: allocating money from the reserve fund in 2026 to Mintsifry. The funds would be passed to DOM.RF as a subsidy to cover the cost of supporting preferential mortgages issued to employees of accredited IT companies. The size of the funding has not been disclosed.
The IT mortgage programme has run since 2022. In July 2024 the government changed its terms, and Moscow and Saint Petersburg stopped taking part. The maximum rate for borrowers is 6% per year. The programme was extended to 2030 in 2024, with the state compensating banks for the gap between the preferential borrower rate and market lending terms.
Why it matters
If approved, the change would give a single ministry a formal mandate over AI deployment, which until now has not been written into its regulations. For technology companies and public-sector bodies, that could clarify who sets the direction for implementation. The mortgage item, meanwhile, shows that the state continues to fund one of its main perks for the IT workforce.
The outcome of the cabinet's discussion has not yet been announced, and the decree's final wording may differ from the draft.
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