Russia desperate to camouflage its data centers to protect them from Ukraine’s drones
Data centers may be moved to bunkers.
Image by Nelikdulatov via Shutterstock
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- Russia proposes anti-drone nets, camouflage, and jamming gear to protect data centers from Ukrainian drones.
- New facilities may need stronger protection for server halls, cooling systems, and power supplies.
- The measures could raise data center service costs by about 10%, on top of inflation.
- Experts warn a major data center outage could destroy 87% of a facility’s value.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
The Russian ministry’s proposal includes installing anti-drone nets and moving facilities underground, even if these measures may raise service costs by up to 10%.
Russia’s Digital Development Ministry approved the guidelines for data center operators on how to protect their facilities, which are increasingly targeted by Ukrainian drones, according to the Russian daily Kommersant.
The government proposes reducing the visibility of existing data centers from the air, equipping them with electronic warfare to counter aerial threats, and installing anti-drone netting.
Meanwhile, the infrastructure of new data centers must be designed to safeguard server halls, cooling systems, and power supply units against the impact of shockwaves and shrapnel, according to the proposal seen by Kommersant.
The document suggests that different security criteria could be applied to different types of facilities. For example, whether it is underground or above ground.
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As Russia’s data centers primarily rely on above-ground facilities, the wording may suggest that the government is considering moving new data centers underground.
The implementation of the proposed measures is expected to increase service costs by approximately 10%, on top of inflation.
However, experts told Russian media that this is a price worth paying because a data center disruption may result in a loss of 87% of its value and months of downtime.
As Kommersant’s coverage is tightly controlled by the Russian government, the article addressing data center attacks may also signal growing anxiety and discontent among the general population and the country’s business elites.
Ukraine started targeting data centers across Russia in mid-October as a response to Moscow’s similar strikes against its critical infrastructure. The attacks have disrupted payments, navigation, and cloud services.
