Western intel agencies could use Armenian data center against Russia — official

MOSCOW, October 8. /TASS/. The new data center set up in Armenia could be used in the interests of Western intelligence agencies against Russia, Iran and other countries, Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexey Shevtsov warned.

"Such centers can be used for intelligence activities and analysis in the interests of Western intelligence agencies, particularly against Iran, Russia and the countries of the South Caucasus and Central Asia," he told reporters, commenting on the early August launch of the Firebird AI company’s artificial intelligence data center in the Armenian city of Hrazdan, running on NVIDIA processors.

According to the Russian Security Council deputy secretary, "since the Firebird company is subject to American laws, US intelligence agencies will have access to all of the data processed on its servers." "That means that Armenian government agencies’ data will be available to the United States without the consent of the Armenian authorities," Shevtsov noted.

Armenia doesn't need the data center at all, he emphasised. According to him, "an OVIO data center, belonging to [the Russian provider] Rostelecom has been operating in the country since 2024, which fully covers the needs of commercial and government structures in terms of data storage."

Shevtsov mentioned Firebird’s plans to increase the Hrazdan facility’s capacity to 300 MW by the end of 2027, which "is almost a quarter of Armenia’s winter peak energy load (1.3 GW)." "That said, given these plans, additional energy capacities will be required to keep the center operational," the Russian Security Council deputy secretary stressed. In his view, "Armenia risks facing a major power shortage that will inevitably affect the country’s people."