russia Is Speeding up Digital Isolation, Bringing a New “Iron Curtain” Closer

Widespread communication disruptions affecting different  parts of russia signal a rapid decline in the openness of the national internet. Regional outages – from Ulyanovsk to Kaluga and Yekaterinburg – affect not only mobile but also wired internet. In a number of regions, including Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, Vladimir, and Murmansk, the problems have become widespread. Similar complaints are coming in from the Volga region, the Urals, and Siberia. The format of the restrictions often corresponds to the model described in the law on the “sovereign runet”,  where users have access only to a limited list of sites.

In parallel, the state is tightening its control over infrastructure. roskomnadzor has been given the right to centrally manage the national segment of the network, and amendments to the law “On Communications” oblige operators to suspend services at the request of special services. Additional restrictions have also been introduced for SIM cards: they can be deactivated for 24 hours when crossing the border.

Risks to privacy are growing. Smart devices accumulate data that end up not only in the hands of law enforcement agencies. Government agencies advise avoiding discussing private matters near voice assistants, while lawmakers propose fines for authorization via foreign messengers.

The deterioration in communication quality is already having practical consequences: families of children with diabetes report that they are unable to monitor glucose levels remotely. In some areas of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the prosecutor’s office even demanded that pay phones, the only available channel of communication, be kept in working order.

Experts predict that in the coming years, russia may find itself almost completely isolated from the global network, making the digital sphere yet another area of new separation from the world.