Russian Companies Turn to Kazakhstan and Belarus for Data Backups After Ukrainian Drone Strikes

Drone attacks by Ukraine have hit data‑center sites across six regions of Russia, interrupting services used by a number of major local firms and eliciting a swift reaction from the Kremlin.

Labelled by Russian authorities as assaults on critical infrastructure, the strikes have pushed several Russian enterprises to seek safer hosting abroad. Sources say firms are assessing data‑center space in nearby Kazakhstan and, to a smaller degree, Belarus, as backup solutions to maintain vital computing functions.

President Vladimir Putin issued an urgent order to commandeer the remaining domestic capacity, intending to pool resources and blunt the impact of the drone attacks. The directive highlights how digital infrastructure has become strategically vital in the current war, with both parties aware that dominion over data streams can affect military and economic results.

Analysts point out that moving to overseas hosts mirrors a wider pattern of Russian companies bolstering IT resilience after years of mounting cyber threats. Kazakhstan, thanks to its comparatively stable politics and expanding tech sector, presents an attractive option for firms needing rapid relocation of servers and cloud platforms. Belarus, though a smaller player, still provides geographic closeness and established connections to Russian markets.

Experts warn that this pivot could affect Russia’s digital sovereignty in the long run. Depending on foreign data centres might subject classified data to outside jurisdictions and make regulatory control more difficult. Simultaneously, the strikes expose the fragility of Russia’s own data‑center infrastructure, which, despite rapid expansion in recent years, remains susceptible to aerial attacks. In the coming weeks, further evaluations of security, potential funding for fortified sites, and ongoing talks with neighboring countries to obtain backup capacity are expected.