Rutube, a Russian video hosting service under Gazprom-Media Holding, has initiated two requests for price quotations to procure used server hardware and data processing equipment. The company is seeking functional equipment produced no earlier than 2023, free of critical defects, via the Bidzaar procurement portal. The deadline for submissions is September 11, 2026.
The first request covers over 180 units across 30 positions, including high-density computing servers with 24-core processors, 1 TB of DDR4 RAM, and 24 NVMe drives. The second request involves 22 units across 9 positions, such as All-Flash storage systems with at least 140 TB capacity, 48-port switches, and routers with 100 Gbit/s interfaces. The process is conducted as a reduction auction with a minimum price step of 1%.
Gazprom-Media stated that these requests are for market monitoring and cost estimation purposes rather than immediate procurement. The company aims to assess the value of its existing IT infrastructure. Industry experts note that the secondary market has become a significant legal channel for hardware due to the May 2026 exclusion of certain servers and storage systems from the parallel import list.
The shift toward used equipment is driven by rising costs and supply chain delays. According to Strategy Partners, DDR4 and DDR5 memory prices rose by 25–35% in the first half of 2026, while corporate SSD prices doubled or tripled. Lead times for new equipment have extended to 10–24 weeks. Used hardware from global vendors can be 60–80% cheaper than new alternatives.
Rutube has previously faced legal disputes over server supply failures. In 2024, the company filed five lawsuits against the integrator MT-Integration, seeking billions of rubles in damages due to delivery delays attributed to sanctions. Courts have since ruled on several of these claims, reducing penalty amounts in some instances while rejecting others.
