Visiting Russia, an IT powerhouse with sovereign AI and its own ecosystem

Western service restrictions have accelerated Russia’s push for digital sovereignty, making local substitutes central to daily digital life.

Yandex, VK, RuStore, Mir Pay, and Telegram-based services now cover search, AI, messaging, app installs, and payments inside Russia.

The ecosystem reduces reliance on foreign platforms like Google, ChatGPT, and SWIFT-linked services, while increasing state and domestic control over data.

A Korean developer in Moscow says the shift has made Russia’s tech stack more self-contained, with domestic AI and super apps filling the gap.