Russia’s Energy Ministry and Industry Move Toward Comprehensive Cyber Resilience
Russia’s energy sector is adopting a multilayered approach to infrastructure protection. A model that combines physical security, winter preparedness and defenses against cyberattacks was discussed at Russian Energy Week 2026, an international forum.
The session “Safety First,” attended by representatives of the Russian Ministry of Energy, Rostekhnadzor (Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision) and major energy companies, focused on implementing a risk-based approach and shifting from detecting defects to preventing them.
Russia’s energy sector is actively replacing imported technologies and accelerating digitalization, bringing in advanced technologies and equipment. These changes make information security especially important. One of the main threats today is the rise of combined attacks that pair direct assaults on fuel and energy infrastructure with cyberattacks using neural-network technologies.
A comprehensive approach is designed to counter these threats. The Ministry of Energy, working with power generation and grid companies, conducts cyber exercises under conditions designed to closely simulate real-world scenarios. Specialists identify vulnerabilities and address them.
Physical protection measures for critical infrastructure are also being strengthened. Unmanned technologies are used to continuously monitor power transmission lines and other vulnerable assets, while digital twins help identify potential equipment failures and resolve them before they cause outages or other emergencies. These measures are particularly important as the heating season approaches, helping power plants and grids maintain reliable operations when demand for energy rises. Around 350 companies and nearly 900 facilities are currently under supervision.
The Energy Sector Learns to Counter Cyber Threats
In the coming years, Russia’s energy sector is expected to develop effective measures to counter cyber threats. In February 2026, the government adopted an order calling for large-scale cyber exercises to systematically identify vulnerabilities in companies’ information infrastructure. At least 100 fuel and energy sector companies are expected to take part by 2030, with participation eventually expanding to as many as 500 by 2036. The results are to be used to compile a cyber-resilience ranking of participating companies.
A dedicated industry cyber range is planned for completion by the fourth quarter of 2027. Once established, the range is to be used to test different defensive methods, including artificial intelligence technologies. The initiative is expected to give Russia’s information security industry a significant boost. The energy sector needs both new software systems and the hardware to support them.
Lessons From a New Reality
Recent events underscore the importance of the work being carried out by the Ministry of Energy and industry representatives. In 2022, JSC LEKSK was hit by a large-scale cyberattack. The attackers attempted to gain access to energy facilities to cut off electricity to consumers. The threat was neutralized.
In 2023, the corporate cybersecurity center of Rosseti PJSC prevented 23 million cyberattacks.
In 2025, the Ministry of Energy and the Republic of Tatarstan conducted large-scale cyber exercises involving 11 fuel and energy companies and ethical hackers from several major cybersecurity firms. The results of this pilot project became the basis for a dedicated section of the fuel and energy sector’s digital transformation plan through 2036.
The Goal Is to Eliminate Threats, Not Increase the Number of Tests
The number of industry cyber exercises is expected to grow steadily in the coming years. Relevant government agencies and energy companies will systematically assess their readiness to withstand combined threats. Over the next three to five years, as Russia implements its energy-sector development strategy, the use of specialized Russian software, monitoring tools and automated security-event analysis is expected to expand. This will create sustained demand for domestic critical-infrastructure security products and for specialists who operate and maintain them.
The key measure of progress is not a dramatic increase in the number of tests, but faster responses to cyber incidents and a greater ability for energy facilities to keep operating during crises.
