Russia intends to construct underground data centers to prevent them from becoming targets in future attacks. According to a report by *Kommersant*, Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development proposed the creation of these underground facilities—a suggestion that predates a series of attacks on the country’s critical data centers by Ukraine earlier this month.
Potential locations for these underground data centers include mines and quarries, which would offer protection against air strikes. This Russian proposal comes just weeks after Japan announced plans to build data centers within disused underground tunnels—a move intended to reduce noise pollution while ensuring the facilities remain protected in the event of a natural disaster.
Attacks on data centers belonging to Yandex, Sberbank, and VK caused disruptions to essential digital services across Russia. The Russian Ministry of Digital Development has suggested classifying data centers into three distinct categories.
The highest category comprises strategic data centers; the loss of such a facility could disrupt key national functions for an hour or more. The second category includes data centers that support systems critical to specific regions or the economy, where disruptions could last for four hours or longer.
The final category consists of corporate data centers, where damage would not have a broader impact on the nation. Existing data centers could be secured through the use of multi-layered defense systems, reinforced structures, anti-drone technology, and electronic warfare systems.
