| Entity | il Mishustin (Government of Russia) |
|---|---|
| Counterparty | Critical infrastructure and other sensitive areas |
| Date | 6 Oct 2026 |
| Status | Stated |
| Region | China & Restricted |
On 6 October 2026, at the Russia National Centre in Moscow, Mikhail Mishustin told the Digital Solutions Forum plenary that the Government will decide when only internal national foundation models may be used for critical infrastructure and other sensitive areas, with a transition period for companies to prepare.
He tied that posture to digital sovereignty after stating that countries claiming AI leadership are restricting transfer of key technology, and that Russia “must not allow a similar scenario.”
In the same remarks he said 42 data centres are under construction, with investment exceeding 280 billion roubles, and that the President has instructed a master map prioritising territories with surplus power where there are NPPs or HPPs.
Who this affects
- For exporters: Mishustin said countries claiming AI leadership are restricting transfer of key technology and that Russia must not allow a similar scenario; for critical infrastructure the Government will decide when only internal national foundation models can be used.
- For investors: 42 data centres are under construction, investment exceeding 280 billion roubles, to be prioritised on a presidential master map toward territories with electric energy surplus where there are NPPs or HPPs.
- For counsel/compliance: The choice of solutions “is still theirs,” except that critical infrastructure and other sensitive areas will be subject to a Government decision on national models only, after a transition period used to adapt procurement terms for the models’ status, quality and actual application scope while maintaining competition.
- For policymakers: The President has instructed a master map for the data centres; a recently adopted bill on AI support, developed by the Government, is described as giving Russian developers assistance tools and data sources for training foundation models.
The read
The use rule and the build are stated together and neither is vendor-specific. Mishustin said Russia “remains in the race of major foundation models — we have several of them,” but named none, and set the restriction as a Government decision on when only “our internal national foundation models” may be used, not as a designation of a supplier.
The physical counterpart in the same remarks is 42 data centres and investment exceeding 280 billion roubles, sited by presidential instruction toward surplus power at NPPs or HPPs — compute capacity stated without a model name, licence, or cheque. A separate sentence in the same speech puts delivery robots, “rovers,” above 1,000 nationwide; that figure is a civilian unmanned-systems claim, not a humanoid deployment.
What was the action?
At the second annual Digital Solutions IT Forum plenary, “Results. Opportunities. Prospects,” Mishustin said the Government will decide when only internal national foundation models can be used for critical infrastructure and other sensitive areas, and that there will be a transition period for companies to prepare. He said Russia has several major foundation models and that supporting its own technology is a matter of national competitive ability and digital sovereignty.
What’s the penalty / scope, and how is it set?
No penalty, order, or instrument number is in the remarks. The action is a stated decision right: the Government will decide the timing; companies keep the choice of solutions until that point; the transition period is to be used to create long-term demand for Russian AI services and to adapt procurement terms for model status, quality and application scope while maintaining competition among market participants. Separately, 42 data centres are under construction with investment exceeding 280 billion roubles.
Who else is exposed?
Not specified by name. The remarks address companies operating in critical infrastructure and other sensitive areas, and say Russian developers are to have assistance tools and data sources for training foundation models under the recently adopted AI-support law. No foundation-model vendor is named. Rostelecom is named only for high-speed backbone lines to the borders with Mongolia and China. The same speech states that delivery rovers have already exceeded 1,000 across the country, driverless-truck mileage since 2024 has exceeded 18 million kilometres, more than 100 highly automated tractor units are being tested, and a hundred driverless taxis are available for booking in Moscow.
What happens next
No decision date and no length for the transition period are in the remarks. The open question on the record is when the Government will decide that only internal national foundation models may be used, and how procurement terms will be adapted for status, quality and application scope during the period Mishustin said companies should use to prepare.
But when it comes to critical infrastructure and other sensitive areas, the Government will decide when only our internal national foundation models can be used.Government of Russia, Digital Solutions Forum remarks, 2026 →