Cloud Review 2026. Is cloud.ru good or bad on providing Cloud services?

📄 Editorial Review

(3*) 🔧 Services: Cloud
Cloud.ru is a major Russian cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence provider with commercial operations dating from 2019, when the business operated under the SberCloud name. The original project was developed by Sberbank and Russian systems integrator I-Teco. Cloud.ru left the Sber ecosystem in May 2022, shortened its name to Cloud, and completed the transition to the Cloud.ru brand in May 2023.

The company has developed rapidly from approximately 40 employees and a single service in 2019 into a large cloud provider with more than 2,000 specialists and over 130 cloud and AI services by the beginning of 2026. Mikhail Lobotsky is the general director. The company reported RUB 76.5 billion in revenue for 2025, representing 50% growth compared with 2024.

Cloud.ru operates on a much larger scale than a conventional web hosting provider. Its portfolio concentrates on IaaS, PaaS, virtual servers, Bare Metal infrastructure, managed databases, Kubernetes, object storage, cybersecurity, private clouds, data platforms and artificial intelligence. It does not follow the usual shared hosting model with fixed disk space, email accounts and domain allowances.

The main public cloud is Cloud.ru Evolution, a platform built around the company’s own technology. Evolution supports virtual machines, VPS/VDS-style cloud servers, Bare Metal servers, GPU instances, public IP addresses, private networks, DNS, load balancing, block storage, S3-compatible object storage, backups and containerized applications.

Virtual machines can be created from prepared operating system images, Marketplace applications or custom images uploaded by the customer. The available infrastructure can support websites, application servers, development environments, enterprise systems, analytics workloads and machine learning projects. Customers can adjust processor, memory, disk and network resources instead of being restricted to a small collection of fixed hosting plans.

Evolution also includes Managed Kubernetes, Managed PostgreSQL, Managed Redis, ArenadataDB, Trino, Spark, OpenSearch, Container Apps, Artifact Registry, Cloud Monitoring and Cloud Logging. This gives developers a complete environment for application deployment without requiring every database, container platform or monitoring component to be maintained manually.

Cloud.ru Advanced is the broader enterprise cloud platform. It includes more than 60 PaaS services, 128 virtual machine specifications and a wide selection of managed infrastructure components. Available services cover PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, MongoDB, Kafka, RabbitMQ, data warehouses, API management, serverless functions, container infrastructure, backup, disaster recovery, enterprise networking and identity management.

Advanced is especially suitable for companies that need managed enterprise services but do not want to construct every component from basic virtual machines. It supports automation through APIs, Terraform, Cloud CLI and Pulumi. Technical documentation for this platform is available in both Russian and English.

The VMware Cloud platform provides hosted virtual data centers based on VMware technology. It covers virtual infrastructure, GPU-enabled environments, virtual desktops, virtual machine backup, disaster recovery and migration. This is a practical option for businesses that already run VMware systems and want to transfer workloads without immediately changing their existing virtualization architecture.

Cloud.ru Evolution Stack extends the company’s technology into private, hybrid and distributed clouds. It can be installed inside a customer’s data center and connected with public Evolution resources through unified orchestration and centralized management. This makes it relevant to regulated businesses, government projects, financial organizations and companies that must keep part of their infrastructure inside a controlled local environment.

Artificial intelligence is one of the company’s strongest areas. Evolution AI Factory combines GPU infrastructure with model training, inference, fine-tuning, notebooks, managed RAG, foundation models and tools for creating AI agents. Evolution Foundation Models provides access to more than 20 generative models, including families such as Qwen, DeepSeek, GLM, MiniMax and GigaChat.

The wider catalog includes CDN, Direct Connect, VPN, anti-DDoS protection, web application firewalls, virtual NGFW appliances, monitoring, logging, data migration, cloud consulting, 1C infrastructure, application hosting, rendering and data analytics. Cloud.ru also provides access to high-performance GPU resources and supercomputer infrastructure for demanding AI and machine learning workloads.

This is not a traditional shared or reseller hosting company. There are no ordinary cPanel hosting accounts, bundled email packages, website builder subscriptions or domain registration plans. Customers can host websites through virtual machines, containers, object storage or managed application services, but they remain responsible for selecting and configuring the required software stack.

The website has a modern, responsive design and provides direct access to pricing, documentation, legal agreements, service status, support and the management console. Russian is the primary website and support language. Advanced documentation is also available in English, while Evolution and VMware documentation remain primarily Russian. Services are priced in Russian rubles.

💰 Price & Cost

Cloud.ru mainly uses consumption-based pricing. Customers pay for the processor, memory, storage, public IP addresses, network traffic, managed services and other resources they allocate or consume. Charging periods vary by product and can be hourly, monthly, per gigabyte, per operation or per transferred unit of data.

The current Evolution Compute tariffs entered into force on June 29, 2026 and include 22% VAT. A public IPv4 address costs RUB 0.2074 per hour. A virtual machine with 12 vCPUs and 24 GB of RAM costs RUB 23.7534 per hour, while a configuration with 16 vCPUs and 64 GB of RAM costs RUB 31.9152 per hour.

Evolution S3 single-zone object storage costs RUB 1.1346 per GB per month including VAT. The lower-cost Ice storage class costs RUB 0.489525 per GB per month. Storage operations and outgoing traffic are charged separately, so the monthly cost depends on both stored capacity and usage patterns.

The online calculator can combine virtual machines, disks, public IP addresses, object storage, databases and other services into a preliminary monthly estimate. The final charge can be higher when a project generates significant traffic, performs many storage operations or leaves disks, snapshots and IP addresses allocated after compute resources have been stopped.

New Evolution customers can receive introductory bonuses. Individuals receive up to RUB 4,000 in bonuses after meeting the account and payment-card conditions, while legal entities and individual entrepreneurs can receive up to RUB 20,000.

A migration promotion remains available through December 31, 2026 for legal entities and individual entrepreneurs. Eligible customers can receive a migration grant of up to RUB 1 million and free cloud resources for as long as three months.

Individuals normally use prepaid billing and can fund their balance by bank card or SberPay. Automatic balance replenishment can be enabled to reduce the risk of resource suspension. Legal entities can generate invoices through the control panel and may use prepaid or postpaid billing, depending on their agreement.

There is no general money-back guarantee for services that have already been consumed. Individuals can request the return of their own unused funds remaining on the account balance. The request must be submitted in writing, and the refund can take up to 30 business days from receipt of the application.

🏢 Data Center

Cloud.ru operates infrastructure across nine Tier III data centers in Russia. Its infrastructure includes more than 43,000 items of IT equipment, including over 29,000 servers, with a combined rack capacity of approximately 56 MW across the nine facilities.

Cloud.ru Evolution uses three availability zones in Moscow. The ru.AZ-1 zone is located at DataPro III in Moscow’s Western Administrative District. The ru.AZ-2 zone is located at IXcellerate Moscow Five in the Southern Administrative District. The ru.AZ-3 zone is located at IXcellerate Moscow Four in the Northeastern Administrative District.

The facilities are operated by DataPro (datapro.ru) and IXcellerate (ixcellerate.com). Separating resources between these availability zones allows customers to build applications that can continue operating when an individual facility or infrastructure component experiences a failure.

The Advanced cloud uses the RU-Moscow region and four availability zones. AZ1 is located at IXcellerate Moscow North, 33G Altufyevskoye Highway. AZ2 is located at DataPro I, 69 Aviamotornaya Street. AZ3 is located at DataPro II, 74 km Moscow Ring Road, property 3. AZ5 is located at IXcellerate Moscow South, 15B Podolskikh Kursantov Street.

Each Advanced availability zone has separate power, cooling and network infrastructure. Customers can distribute virtual machines, databases and other resources between zones to improve availability and disaster recovery within the Moscow region.

In June 2026, Cloud.ru began construction of its own data center in the Moscow region. Commissioning is planned for 2027. The new facility is intended to increase capacity for cloud services and AI infrastructure as demand for GPU and high-density computing continues to expand.

The infrastructure uses controlled physical access, video surveillance, redundant power and cooling, network segmentation, DDoS protection, security monitoring and regular penetration testing. Compliance options cover Russian personal data requirements, government information systems, critical information infrastructure and financial workloads.

The standard Cloud.ru Evolution uptime target is 99.95%. Compensation is calculated according to the availability of the affected resource during the reporting period. Availability below 99.95% qualifies for 10% compensation, availability below 99.0% qualifies for 20%, and availability below 95.0% qualifies for 50%.

The platform comparison assigns a 99.95% SLA to Advanced and a 99.98% SLA to VMware Cloud. Individual products can have service-specific conditions, so managed databases, security products and other specialized services may use different availability figures.

Cloud.ru operates AS208677, registered to Cloud Technologies LLC. Its upstream connectivity includes StormWall (stormwall.pro), Qrator (qrator.net), RETN, SERVICEPIPE (servicepipe.ru) and VimpelCom/Beeline (beeline.ru). The network also connects at MSK-IX in Moscow.

This combination of several upstream providers and an Internet exchange connection gives the network useful domestic routing diversity. Customers serving users outside Russia should still test latency, international transit paths and regulatory compatibility before moving production systems.

✍️ Customer Support

Technical support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers can contact the support team by telephone, email, Telegram or through the Cloud.ru management console.

The main technical support telephone number is 8 800 444-24-99, while email assistance is available through support@cloud. The company also maintains a Telegram support community where customers can communicate with support personnel and other platform users.

Standard support targets include answering calls within the first few minutes and responding to email requests within approximately 15 minutes. Ordinary issues can have a resolution target of up to 12 hours, while critical incidents receive a shorter target of up to four hours. Exact response and resolution obligations depend on the applicable platform, support plan and incident priority.

Cloud.ru provides extensive technical documentation, tutorials, laboratory exercises, webinars, training courses and professional certifications. The architectural center assists businesses with migration planning, cloud design, cost control, security and infrastructure modernization.

Business customers can also receive migration assistance, technical consultations and a personal manager. Premium support adds more direct access to specialists and closer assistance with complex environments.

Russian is the primary support language. English documentation is available for Advanced, but companies that require continuous English-language technical and commercial support should confirm the available support arrangements before signing a contract.

🔨 Control Panel

Cloud.ru uses its own web-based cloud management environment through *console.cloud.ru*. This is a full infrastructure orchestration platform rather than a conventional web hosting panel.

Customers can create and manage virtual machines, Bare Metal servers, disks, images, public IP addresses, private networks, load balancers, Kubernetes clusters, databases, object storage, security products and AI resources from one account.

The interface also handles organizations, projects, users, roles, quotas, contracts, invoices and support requests. Cost-management tools provide current spending information, consumption analysis, forecasts, budget limits and automatic balance replenishment.

Operational tools include cloud monitoring, Prometheus-compatible metrics, centralized logging, task history and audit records. The integrated AI assistant can explain services, help configure resources, create monitoring widgets and assist with cloud cost analysis.

Infrastructure can also be managed through APIs and automation tools. Evolution supports APIs and Terraform, while Advanced adds Cloud CLI and Pulumi. VMware environments support APIs, Terraform and PowerCLI.

Cloud.ru does not use cPanel or Plesk as the standard management interface. Customers running an ordinary Linux website on a virtual machine can install a separate server administration panel or manage the operating system directly through SSH.

🎯 Conclusion

Cloud.ru is best suited to businesses that need scalable Russian cloud infrastructure, managed enterprise platforms, artificial intelligence services or compliance-focused hosting inside Russia. Its strongest advantages are the large product portfolio, several availability zones, managed databases, Kubernetes, GPU infrastructure, private-cloud technology and continuous technical support.

Evolution gives developers and smaller organizations relatively easy access to virtual machines, object storage, managed databases and containers. Advanced provides a deeper enterprise service catalog, while VMware Cloud supports organizations that want to retain an established VMware architecture. Evolution Stack extends the same environment into private, hybrid and distributed deployments.

The company is especially strong in AI infrastructure. Access to modern GPU accelerators, managed model services, distributed training and Evolution AI Factory makes it suitable for projects that require much more than a basic VPS.

The main disadvantages are the Russian-first commercial environment, the complexity of resource-based billing and the absence of conventional shared hosting packages. Customers must monitor allocated disks, IP addresses, snapshots, network traffic and managed services carefully because many components are charged separately.

The currently identified public cloud regions are concentrated around Moscow. This provides several independent availability zones within the same metropolitan area, but it does not offer the international geographic coverage available from the largest global cloud providers.

For Russian companies, regulated organizations, software developers and AI projects, Cloud.ru provides a broad and technically advanced platform. Customers who only need a small website with bundled email, a domain and a simple hosting panel will usually find a traditional shared hosting provider easier and less expensive.

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