Russia successfully attempted to ‘disconnect’ from the global internet; to understand

Russia is expanding testing to create a national, independent internet network, allowing it to be “disconnected” from the existing global standard connectivity. Information is still limited, but a new and apparently successful experiment could be a new step towards the implementation of this project.

According to newspapers in the region, Russian internet regulatory agency Roskomnadzor Restriction of internet access throughout the day in some areas of the country. Fields like Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetiaclose to borders with other countries, they were left “in the dark” and unable to access certain services.

Data obtained by Netblock shows that traffic in the Dagestan region dropped and rebounded during the day.

?? Note: Measurements show that connectivity was interrupted and restored in Dagestan. #RussiaFollowing what telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor described as testing the capacity to disable access to foreign internet in a particular region; event duration ~24 hours pic.twitter.com/7iYtDcVtSG

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) December 7, 2024

Platforms such as YouTube, WhatsApp, Telegram and other foreign services or websites will be blocked and even the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) will not allow access to these pages.

Russia network

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s project is to implement a project called. RuNet. this one National and controlled service, separate from global connections and under strict access control – Something similar to what China has been doing for several years; banning platforms from other regions and promoting the use of local services for entertainment and communication.

RuNet has been discussed since at least 2019 and has already been the result of significant local government investments. So far, there has been no official statement from Putin or a deadline for the implementation of the new network.

The regions were not chosen by chance; They are concentrated in cities where recent conflicts and Muslim populations are concentrated and political instability prevails. With its own network, the government will be able to more easily disable the connection and therefore the communication of people who are considered dissidents.