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attack from outside. Experts note that keeping a complete map of the internet is almost impossible, because it is constantly changing.
Officials still prefer foreign over Russian software. A new report from the Audit Chamber indicates that government agencies and extra-budgetary funds bought just 8.5bn rubles ($130mn) of domestically-produced software in 2017- 18. This is less than half of their total 17.2bn ($263mn) software outlay. This week, the Brief covered a couple of stories on the government’s import substitution plans for the shipping industry. This story is a fairly good indication of how they will turn out. Despite a strong push to develop Russia’s digital economy and impose restrictions on foreign software imports, even the government prefers to use foreign tech. Developing domestic industry takes time, and simply slapping added regulations on a sector cannot circumvent that.
· In 2016, the government created a register of domestic software. Per current regulations, Russian government bodies and SOEs may not purchase imported counterparts of registered software unless they can explain the necessity of doing so.
· The Audit Chamber report found that 3.3bn rubles ($50mn) worth of software were purchased in violation of this regulation.
· 96% of federal agencies and extrabudgetary funds use programs not included in the register. 82% use foreign mail servers, and almost all (over 99%) use Microsoft, Oracle, or other foreign database management servers.
9.1.10 Utilities sector news
A third of Russian coal-fired power plants may be closed. As much as one third of the coal-fired capacities in Russia could be considered ineligible for modernisation and closed, Big Power News reports, quoting the Russia- based Institute of Natural Monopolies Research. Of Russia’s total 24.7GW of coalfired capacities, 65% could in theory take part in modernisation. Of this, the institute contends that as much as a third might be ineligible, mainly due to low load factors, which are below 40%. According to the institute’s experts, the current modernisation menu does not in reflect the possibility of ash and slag accumulation improvement, which is one of the core problems for coal plant participation in DPM-2. “We note that the conditions of DPM-2
108 RUSSIA Country Report March 2019 www.intellinews.com