The Russian Internet Is Becoming “Chinese”, But It’s Hard To Protect It Completely –

A digital version of the Iron Curtain is quickly being erected between Russia and the West. In recent years, government interference with the Russian internet has already increased, and the war in Ukraine only seems to exacerbate that. Still, it’s easier said than done to completely isolate it from the Russian internet.

Since then, several blockades have been put in place in Russia. For example, Russian citizens are no longer allowed to use Facebook and Twitter has been virtually unusable for months due to speed limits. Netflix also no longer offers services in Russia, Microsoft has limited the purchase of their services there and Google ensures that Russian state media no longer advertises.

Restrictions from the West and Russia could lead to Russia cutting itself off from the global internet, as China has already done.

“This is an opportunity for Russia to implement this plan,” says Mariëlle Wijermars, assistant professor of cybersecurity and policy at Maastricht University. In 2019, Russia already tested its own independent version of the Internet: RuNet.

Wijermars says that under Russian law it can only shut down the country’s internet if the integrity of the Russian internet is threatened. “It can be shut down to preserve the integrity of the Russian internet. Now this is a scenario to think about.”

Closing will be very expensive and may not be possible

However, it is not said that Russia will stick to the plan. The Russian internet has been integrated into the global internet, while China has made sure the internet is closed and birth controlled. In principle, it is much more difficult to change.

“Russia itself also makes extensive use of international services,” says Wijermars. “For example, companies work with cloud services from abroad. The question is whether Russia can afford to cut off its internet from the rest. Not only technically, but also economically.”

Russia’s largest search engine, based in the Netherlands, had previously warned that it could face heavy weather due to all the sanctions. The company may not be able to pay its debts because the shares are not allowed to be traded. Bankruptcy is near.

“Large companies have already resisted plans for a nationwide internet,” says Wijermars. “They say it is not possible at all, it is too expensive. The damage is enormous.”

Internet organizations do not want exclusion

Ukrainian leaders have already called on Russia to shut down the global internet. Internet organizations do not want to admit this yet. US internet operator ICANN, which has the option to disable the internet, said it would not consider the call. In addition, the organization says it was set up to keep the internet going, not to break it. “We make sure that the internet does not become political.”

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) agrees. According to the organization, a war is no reason to adapt the internet. Changing the basic internet infrastructure would have “dangerous and lasting consequences”. Cloudflare, a US company that protects against cyber-attacks, said Russians need “more internet, not less”.

A complete shutdown is therefore not on the agenda in Russia. YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp still work, albeit somewhat limited. Wijermars says Russia erecting a digital iron curtain would be a last resort for the country.

“In this way, Russia is trying to make itself less vulnerable because attacks can be carried out over the Internet,” he says. If complete isolation is indeed enforced, Russia should be able to sell its pick with evidence of massive attacks threatening the Russian internet. “This is a massive act of censorship.”