Russia again tested the disconnection from the global Internet network on the night of July 4-5 to ensure its “stable operation” in the event of its “external shutdown”, reports the Russian financial channel RBC, citing sources in the telecommunications market.

In a communication with RBC journalists, a representative of Roskomnadzor, the Russian media and telecommunications regulator, said that the tests were “successful” and reminded that similar exercises are held once a year, but did not specify their purpose.

“During the exercises, it was possible to verify the reliability of the information that Runet (and not the Russian “sovereign” Internet) continues to work in the event of such a shutdown. This is similar to testing bulletproof vests, when they are put on mannequins and shot at them,” said one of RBC’s sources in the Russian telecom market.

RBC reminds that similar tests were organized in 2019 and 2021, during which the stability of the Internet in Russia against “external influence” was tested, as well as the security of mobile communication services.

The Russian authorities each time announced the successful completion of the tests.

Another test, which has not been confirmed by Russian authorities, was also scheduled to take place late last year.

These tests are taking place in the context of the promulgation by President Vladimir Putin in 2019 of the law “On Sovereign Runet” to protect the Russian segment of the Internet from “external threats”.

How the Russian “sovereign Internet” would work.

In particular, the law provides for the creation of an infrastructure that allows for the functioning of the Russian Internet in the event of the impossibility of connecting Russian operators to foreign Internet servers.

Russian ISPs are required to ensure the operation of “technical methods” that allow “centralized control of traffic” to be able to counter potential threats.

Although the Kremlin rejects any suggestion that it plans to introduce the equivalent of China’s “Great Wall of Information”, the passage of the law four years ago brought thousands of protesters to the streets to denounce the “censorship” of the Russian Internet.

Russia’s digital isolation, to the extent that it can be achieved, would increase state control over personal data and personal freedoms and fuel the fears of some experts and human rights activists.

Major Russian state actors, especially the intelligence services, seem to continue to prefer the ability to obtain information over the absence of data, and independent experts are skeptical that Russia can completely disconnect from the global Internet.

PHOTO article: Dreamstime.com.

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