MOSCOW, May 29. /TASS/. Russia may impose a gradual limitation on foreign cloud services where Russian alternatives exist, Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Minister Maksut Shadayev said, commenting on President Vladimir Putin’s call to "choke off" foreign IT services that operate in Russia while pursuing anti-Russian policies abroad.

"The president said we would suppress them. Overall, I view it in a broader context. The sector is developing rapidly here," the minister said at the Tadviser Summit.

Shadayev noted the difficult economic situation, citing the current key rate and many large clients reducing their IT budgets. "We consider additional incentives to boost demand for domestic solutions. Our approach is that large corporations may gradually limit the use of foreign cloud services where advanced Russian alternatives exist," he said.

President Putin urged the "choking off" of foreign IT services continuing to operate in Russia despite hostile policies abroad at a May 26 meeting with business leaders. IVA Technologies CEO Stanislav Iodkovsky complained that services including Zoom remain active in Russia despite claims to have exited, causing billions in losses for domestic developers.

Head of the Russian association of software developers Domestic Software, CEO of InfoWatch Natalya Kasperskaya told TASS earlier that Russian firms need to make sure they are ready to step in for foreign services should they be officially booted out of the country. In four years, Russian solutions have developed and strengthened greatly, she said, adding that they are capable of withstanding much greater loads now than, for example, in March 2022.

Member of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, professor at MGIMO University Elina Sidorenko told TASS that the process of import substitution in Russia’s IT sector would take no more than 1.5-2 years. Despite geopolitical challenges, the Russian IT market is demonstrating adaptability and high growth rates, though to compete globally, it is essential to further increase the share of IT in GDP and invest in this sector, she noted.