Disruptions to Yandex services following Ukrainian strikes on its data centres also caused problems in Armenia. Media expert Samvel Martirosyan says the situation should prompt Armenian authorities to clarify their policy in this area. They need to assess how well the country’s digital services and the data accumulated within them are protected.
Why did strikes on Russian data centres affect services in Armenia?
Martirosyan generally rates Yandex’s services highly. However, the media expert says his principal concern is not service quality, but the storage and protection of Armenian users’ data.
“The company said the data was stored in Armenia, not Russia. Journalists should now contact the company and ask: if the data is indeed in Armenia, why did strikes on Russian data centres affect the service here? We need to understand how well data collected in Armenia is protected and whether it could be used against Armenia,” Martirosyan said.
According to him, this question is particularly important when Russia is taking certain unfriendly actions towards Armenia. The state is responsible for overseeing data security and assessing potential risks.
Martirosyan believes that if Armenian authorities identify security concerns in relations with Russia, they should raise the issue directly with Yandex. If necessary, the government could adopt a decision requiring Armenian users’ data to be stored within the country.
Armenia’s digital sovereignty requires an assessment of its capabilities
The disruption of Yandex services brings Armenia’s digital sovereignty into focus. However, Martirosyan believes the country must assess its capabilities before requiring foreign companies to store Armenian users’ data locally. It needs to establish whether sufficient server capacity exists to implement such a policy.
He stressed the need to inventory private-sector server infrastructure and assess its actual capabilities. Without such a study, it is difficult to determine what data storage requirements the state can impose and whether they can be implemented in practice.
“I do not think anyone has conducted an inventory to understand what exists in the private sector. Armenia is not among the leading countries in terms of server capacity. But if a strategy is adopted and we clearly understand what we want, these issues can be resolved. We need to take the first step: understand what we want,” Martirosyan said.
According to him, the current situation provides a good opportunity to address these issues seriously. However, decisions should be based on prior assessments, because poorly calculated requirements could have the opposite effect.
He cited Russia’s experience as an example. The authorities required data to be moved into the country, but some companies refused to comply. According to Martirosyan, in such situations the state may have to block services if companies reject its conditions.
The media expert also warned that keeping data within Armenia does not, by itself, guarantee its security. If military operations begin in the country and infrastructure is damaged, locally stored data and services could also be endangered.
In his assessment, Armenia must therefore consider several factors simultaneously. These include data protection requirements, its own technical capabilities, relations with international companies and potential security threats. Digital sovereignty policy should rest on a clear strategy and realistic calculations.
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