Russian telecom giant Rostelecom plans underground data centers as protection from drones

Rostelecom, Russia's largest internet provider, plans to build underground data centers with an increased level of protection against external threats, according to the business daily Vedomosti, which cites sources at the company. The plan follows strikes by Ukrainian drones on data centers owned by Yandex and Sberbank.

Talks with Nornickel

Another source familiar with the discussions told the newspaper that Rostelecom is negotiating with mining company Nornickel on building an underground data center together. Experts quoted in the report said Rostelecom could offer government and corporate clients an additional format of secure infrastructure for data backup, while Nornickel could bring its expertise in underground construction and mine safety.

Three levels of protection

Sources said that locating data centers underground could shield them not only from drones but also from certain missile strikes. A Rostelecom source stressed that going underground is only the last of three protection levels. The first is a backup site holding copies of data in case the main infrastructure is damaged. The second is spreading computing capacity and services across several geographically dispersed sites.

Ministry recommendations

In late October, Russia's Digital Development Ministry approved a list of recommendations for protecting against drone attacks and other aerial threats, including placing data centers underground. The ministry introduced them after Ukrainian drones hit the Yandex and Sberbank data centers. Russian forces had earlier attacked data centers in Ukraine.