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Russian retailers’ association AKIT has asked the government to establish temporary operating rules for mass outages of state information systems. Its proposals include allowing businesses to submit delayed data and, temporarily, to store and process personal data in “friendly” countries. The government ministries named in the report said the letter would be reviewed; no policy change has been announced.
Russian retailers’ association AKIT has asked Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to establish a special legal regime for mass outages of state information systems, proposing delayed data submissions and other emergency procedures. The request, reported by the business daily Kommersant, also calls for temporary permission to store and process Russians’ personal data in “friendly” countries, a change to current rules that require such data to be handled inside Russia.
In its letter, AKIT proposes that retailers be allowed to record information they cannot transmit during an outage and submit it after the affected infrastructure is restored. The association also calls for backup ways to send data and says businesses should not be penalized for missing reporting deadlines while an emergency regime is in effect. The proposal concerns outages in state information systems, known in Russia as GIS.
AKIT prepared the letter after Ukrainian drones struck data centers belonging to Yandex and Sberbank, according to the report. The association said those attacks did not cause major retail disruptions at the time, but argued that rules should be ready for a force majeure event. The letter contains other proposals that AKIT has not disclosed.
The Russian Economy Ministry and Finance Ministry told Kommersant that the letter “will be reviewed in accordance with the established procedure.” That response confirms receipt for review, not approval. The report does not say that the government has adopted any of the requested measures or set a timetable for deciding on them.
Keeping Retail Running During Outages
The proposals address what retailers should do when government-linked systems are unavailable but businesses still face requirements to transmit information on time. If adopted, deferred submissions and alternative transmission methods could give companies a defined way to keep records and resume reporting after service returns. Exemptions from penalties could also clarify how compliance deadlines apply during a formally recognized emergency.
The data-storage request reaches beyond short-term business continuity. Current rules require personal data to be processed and stored inside Russia, according to the report. A temporary exception for “friendly” countries would alter where companies could handle that information during an emergency. The proposal could therefore affect both retailers’ contingency planning and the handling of customers’ personal data, though its scope and safeguards have not been reported.
Reports of isolated outages show why the issue matters to businesses even though AKIT said the data-center attacks did not cause major retail disruption. Rusprodsoyuz, an association representing major food producers, said some companies faced outages that forced them to pause operations and switch to paper records. The reported effects were limited to some companies; the source does not provide figures on how many businesses were affected or how long interruptions lasted.
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Attacks Prompt Contingency Planning
The immediate trigger for AKIT’s letter was the drone strikes on data centers operated by Yandex and Sberbank. The source identifies those attacks as the reason the association drafted its proposal, but does not give dates, damage assessments, or technical details about the facilities. AKIT’s own account, as reported by Kommersant, was that the attacks did not produce major interruptions in retail.
There is a distinction between the association’s warning about a possible broad outage and the disruptions reported so far. AKIT is seeking rules for a potential mass failure of state information systems. Rusprodsoyuz described isolated outages that affected some companies, with paper records used as a fallback. The report does not establish that those incidents were caused by the data-center attacks.
Under the rules described in the report, Russians’ personal data can only be processed and stored inside Russia. AKIT’s proposed temporary allowance for storage and processing in “friendly” countries would create an exception to that requirement. The letter’s other proposals have not been made public, so the full package cannot yet be assessed.
“The attacks did not cause major disruptions in retail at the time, but a special regime should be established in case of force majeure.”
— AKIT, as reported by Kommersant
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Scope and Safeguards Remain Open
It is not yet clear whether the government will accept any part of AKIT’s proposal, when a decision might come, or what conditions would define a mass outage or activate an emergency regime. The ministries’ statement that the letter will be reviewed does not indicate a policy decision.
The report also does not specify how long a proposed exception for data storage abroad would last, which countries would qualify as “friendly,” or what safeguards would apply to personal information. AKIT has not disclosed the other proposals in its letter. Available information also does not establish the number of businesses affected by the isolated outages or link those incidents directly to the strikes on the Yandex and Sberbank data centers.
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Government Review Is Pending
The next confirmed step is the review by the Economy Ministry and Finance Ministry, which told Kommersant the letter would be considered under established procedures. No date for a response or decision has been reported. Until the government announces a change, the proposed emergency rules and overseas data exception remain requests from AKIT, not adopted policy.
Further clarity would depend on any ministry or government response, including whether officials publish a draft measure or describe which proposals they are prepared to consider. AKIT could also disclose the parts of its letter that were not reported. For now, the central questions are whether an outage regime will be created and how any rules would balance business continuity with existing personal-data requirements.
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Key Questions
What is AKIT asking the Russian government to do?
AKIT wants temporary rules for mass outages of state information systems, including permission to record data and transmit it after service is restored, use backup transmission methods, and avoid penalties for missed deadlines during an emergency.
Is Russia changing its personal-data storage rules?
No change has been announced. AKIT has proposed temporarily allowing Russians’ personal data to be stored and processed in “friendly” countries. The report says current rules require the data to be handled inside Russia.
Did the data-center attacks cause major retail disruption?
AKIT said the strikes on Yandex and Sberbank data centers did not cause major retail disruption at the time. Rusprodsoyuz separately reported isolated outages that led some companies to stop operations and use paper records; the report does not establish that those outages were caused by the strikes.
Has the government approved AKIT’s proposals?
No. The Economy Ministry and Finance Ministry said the letter would be reviewed under established procedures. Their response does not confirm approval or provide a decision date.
Source: rss
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