The Association of Internet Trade Companies (AKIT) has sent an appeal to the Russian government requesting permission for the temporary storage and processing of citizens' personal data in data centers of friendly states. According to Forbes, citing sources in the IT industry familiar with the contents of the document, the letter was addressed to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and sent on October 15, 2026. The association itself confirmed the dispatch of the document. The initiative concerns not a general transfer of Russians' data abroad, but the creation of an emergency backup mechanism for companies whose digital infrastructure has been damaged.
Reason: Attacks on Digital Infrastructure
The direct impetus for the appeal was drone attacks on Russian digital infrastructure, including facilities hosting server capacities. As follows from the context published by several outlets, drones have been striking storage and technological facilities of major retailers since mid-July 2026; according to a BBC source, Wildberries alone has spent about 20 billion rubles overcoming the consequences since then. For companies serving millions of users, server damage means not just an app glitch, but the loss of access to data and the halt of key processes — from order processing to delivery services.
What Exactly AKIT Proposes
The association proposes introducing a special legal regime for companies whose digital systems have suffered as a result of large-scale accidents or infrastructure damage. Under this regime, affected businesses would have the right to temporarily host critical services in overseas backup data centers if restoring them on Russian platforms is impossible. According to several publications, the proposed regime is designed for a limited period — until March 1, 2028 — and involves a temporary softening of the Personal Data Law specifically for affected organizations. It is emphasized that this is a temporary measure, not a rejection of the general rule of storing and initially processing Russians' personal data within the country.
Who is Behind the Initiative and How It Is Assessed
AKIT unites major players in internet commerce — online stores, marketplaces, and delivery services, including Ozon, Wildberries, Kuper, and Yandex Market. That is why the initiative affects a significant part of Russian e-commerce. The Big Data Association called the proposed measure a logical crisis-response reaction to the infrastructure damage situation. The appeal has been forwarded to the government for consideration; according to Forbes, the publication requested a comment from the cabinet press service, but no response from the authorities had been received at the time of publication.
What's Next
Currently, the document is under review. If the proposed regime is adopted, it will create a precedent for legally moving critical services abroad in emergency situations, which will require clear criteria from the regulator: which companies fall under the regime, how access to data abroad is controlled, and exactly when the backup should cease. For the industry, this is a potential tool for resilience; for the regulator, it is a new question of balancing business continuity with the protection of citizens' personal data.
