Officials fear that as the Kremlin cracks down on the internet, Russia will become isolated from the rest of the world.
As a real war rages in Ukraine, Russia is waging an aggressive propaganda war online.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has won a referendum that would keep him in power until at least 2036.
The Russian internet is a critical battleground in the Kremlin’s online campaign. Several companies in Russia have shut down their online and physical operations.
Meanwhile, Kremlin authorities led by President Vladimir Putin have banned access to some of the platforms that are still operational in Russia.
Instagram, which is three times as popular as Facebook in Russia, was prohibited by state officials.
The Kremlin’s intentions to cut Russia off from the global internet precede the Ukrainian incursion.
Russia approved the Sovereign Internet Law in 2019, which sends traffic via Russian servers, allowing the Kremlin to regulate the internet.
The Russian government declared the internet a national security threat in 2021.
This month, Russia’s deputy digital minister, Andrei Chernenko, ordered that Russian websites use domain name system (DNS) servers located within Russia’s borders.
