For years, Russia has been preparing for a potential scenario where it might disconnect from the Internet. The first significant step in this direction was in 2019. The State Duma enacted a law that aimed to protect the country against foreign blockades and laid the groundwork for the so-called “Russian Internet,” also known as “Runet.” The law raised concerns among several organizations, like Human Rights Watch, which highlighted it as a potential tool for censorship.
Implementing this plan presents several monumental challenges. Technically, the Internet operates as a global network with distributed infrastructure and key components. One particularly sensitive element is the Domain Name System (DNS), currently managed by multiple organizations with root servers located outside of Russia.
Russia’s Latest Internet Disconnection Test
According to Reuters, Russia’s “sovereign Internet” law mandates annual disconnection simulations to prepare the country for a possible separation from the global Internet. These tests were temporarily halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they’ve now resumed.
In early December, residents of Dagestan, a republic in Southwestern Russia, experienced difficulties accessing foreign social media platforms and services such as WhatsApp, YouTube, and Google. Internet service providers explained that these restrictions stemmed from temporary measures in place.
On Dec. 6, Roskomnadzor, Russia’s federal communications regulator, told the Russian news agency Interfax that the outages were part of exercises aimed at assessing the security and stability of Runet in the event of a global network disconnection. During the tests, experts evaluated the effectiveness of replacement infrastructure and identified systems reliant on resources located in foreign networks.
The local newspaper Chernovik reported that connectivity problems weren’t only confined to Dagestan but also affected other regions of Russia, including Chechnya and Ingushetia. Temporary disconnections in these areas disrupted services like the Telegram messaging app and Yanex, the “Russian Google.” Connectivity was restored after several hours of testing.
According to Russia’s sovereign Internet law, telecom operators are required to install equipment controlled by state authorities at the country’s exchange points and at interconnection points that cross the border. These measures aim to block several network resources and allow the government to analyze traffic to restrict access to banned content.
If Russia were to disconnect from the Internet in the future, it would need its own independent DNS. Current legislation provides for the creation of this kind of system. The country’s population would likely be the most impacted, given that they would lose access to Western services. Moreover, this disconnection could potentially not be circumvented by VPN services.
Image | Thomas Jensen | Engin Akyurt | Freepik
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