According to a media report, Russia is preparing to break away from the global Internet. In a letter, the digital ministry calls on website operators to move to Russian servers.
Russia wants to control this Internet Promote and apparently plans to separate from the World Wide Web. The creators of the Belarusian Telegram channel Nexta shared a corresponding request from the Russian Ministry of Digital Affairs via Twitter. It states that portals and website operators must transfer their services to Russian servers by mid-March.
In the letter distributed by Nexta, Russia called on operators of “communication services” to use Russian servers, among other things. In addition, domain names with a foreign identifier ending in .ru should be given if possible. As directed, Javascript code on websites originating from foreign sources should be removed.
A similar law has been in place since 2019
Russia’s plans to create its own independent “Runet” are not new. In 2019, Russia passed a law, which provides for cutting off the country’s connection to the global Internet. The initiators defended it as a “defensive mechanism” “to ensure the long-term stable functioning of networks in Russia.”
Critics warned at the time that the new law could subject the internet to strict state control. Just like in China, it will allow the Russian government to control internet content.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended himself against the criticism. Regardless of the cost, raw materials and nuclear power should have an independent internet in the event of a potential cyber attack from abroad or other risks. Putin said at the time that this was a matter of “national security.”
