Mishustin orders state buyers to favor AI models from Sberbank and Yandex

Prime Minister Mishustin has ordered amendments to public procurement legislation to guarantee demand for domestic AI models from Sberbank and Yandex. The move is part of a broader, ambitious import-substitution strategy in artificial intelligence, aimed at strengthening Russia's technological sovereignty and independence from foreign providers.

How domestic models will be supported in government orders

The amendments would give Russian developments priority when government agencies and authorities choose AI solutions. State customers will be steered toward models from Sberbank and Yandex rather than foreign alternatives from OpenAI, Google or other international providers. This would create guaranteed demand and let domestic companies grow more steadily and predictably, investing in long-term projects without fear of losing their customer.

The mechanism is fairly simple: when a government body picks an AI solution, it must first consider Russian options and assess whether they meet its functional requirements. Only if they lack needed functions may it turn to foreign platforms. This is not a hard ban on foreign models but a prioritization of domestic ones where they can do the job. As a result, Sberbank and Yandex get a guaranteed market in which they compete not with American giants from Silicon Valley, but with each other and with potential Russian rivals.

What the comprehensive AI industry development plan includes

Beyond procurement priority, the authorities are preparing a broader, comprehensive support package for the Russian AI industry covering several areas:

• Guaranteed demand for Sberbank and Yandex AI models in government orders, agencies and authorities at various levels
• Stimulating demand for domestic computing infrastructure and server hardware for training, deploying and supporting AI models
• Long-term financing of large investment projects in Russian artificial intelligence through state funds, programs and special credit lines
• Customs and regulatory import-substitution measures for critical AI components, chips and computing architectures

This creates a kind of "protected market" for domestic developers, similar to the way the state has traditionally supported local industry in segments critical to national security and sovereignty. For Yandex and Sberbank, it means they can plan large-scale long-term investments, knowing they have a reliable, large and growing government customer with predictable purchasing volumes.

Why this is critical for Russian artificial intelligence

Russian AI companies have long worked under asymmetric competition, on a field that was clearly not level. On one side are multibillion-dollar investments in Western AI companies (OpenAI, Google, Meta*, Anthropic, Microsoft); on the other, the hundreds of millions that investors are willing to put into Russian projects. Western models often proved cheaper, more capable and more in demand, owing not only to better execution but also to the sheer scale of investment, a developed scientific base and a huge global user audience.

State support and guaranteed demand allow Russian companies to level the field, at least in the domestic market. A guaranteed government order will give them a strong financial base to invest in fundamental research, to hire and retain top specialists and scientists, and to compete with Western counterparts on the global market in the future.

What this means for the economy and technology

Government orders will become a powerful, long-term catalyst for the Russian AI market and the ecosystem around it. This approach lets the state solve two critical problems at once: create stable domestic demand for developing a homegrown technology, and secure access to AI solutions that do not depend on Western sanctions or supply disruptions from foreign providers.

For Yandex and Sberbank, this means the chance to invest in long-term scientific research, develop their own foundation models and position themselves as global competitors. It creates conditions for the emergence of a "Russian OpenAI" or a "Russian Claude" that could compete with Western counterparts not only in Russia but on the world market.

*Meta has been designated an extremist organization and is banned in Russia.