Russia plans camouflage and underground data centers to stop drone strikes
The Russian Digital Development Ministry has proposed defensive measures including camouflage and subterranean construction for data centers following increased targeting by Ukrainian drones in late 2026.
Proposed defensive infrastructure changes
Moscow officials are reviewing resilience strategies after five facilities were hit in October. The ministry suggests installing anti-drone nets and signal jamming hardware alongside physical concealment. Some proposals also include moving servers into underground locations to shield them from shockwaves.
Financial impact of new safety rules
Experts warn that these protective steps could raise the cost of building each facility by around 10 percent. An outage caused by an attack might wipe up to 87 percent of a center's value. Power supplies and cooling systems will also need reinforcement against blast damage.
Targets of recent drone attacks
Ukrainian forces recently struck the largest Russian facility in Balakovo which belongs to Sberbank. Three additional centers owned by Yandex were also among the structures targeted during that period. These strikes have prompted a broader review of how cloud and AI infrastructure is protected.
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