Russian telecom giant Rostelecom to build underground data centers to protect against drones

Rostelecom, Russia’s largest internet provider, plans to build underground data centers with “an increased level of protection against external threats,” the Russian business daily Vedomosti reported, citing sources at the company.

Rostelecom is in talks with Nornickel about building an underground data center together, another source familiar with the discussions told the newspaper.

Experts said Rostelecom could offer government and corporate clients an additional format of secure infrastructure for data backup, while Nornickel could contribute its expertise in underground construction and mine safety.

Sources told the newspaper that placing data centers underground could protect them not only from drones, but also from certain missile strikes.

Placing data centers underground is only the last of three levels of protection, a source at Rostelecom said. The first level involves creating a backup site where copies of data are stored in case the main infrastructure is damaged. The second involves placing computing capacity and services at several geographically dispersed sites.

• The Digital Development Ministry approved a list of recommendations in late October for protecting against drone attacks and other aerial threats, including placing data centers underground.
• The ministry introduced the recommendations after Ukrainian drones struck data centers belonging to Yandex and Sberbank. Russian forces had previously attacked data centers in Ukraine.

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