Free Network and Geo Analysis Tools

In the process of implementing of the 2019 Sovereign Internet Law, Roskomnadzor expanded its ability to censor the internet in Russia. The installation of Technical Measures to Combat Threats (TSPU) equipment, which is based on the use of DPI technology on telecommunications networks, allows Roskomnadzor to restrict access and block websites

A new measure set to take effect in September 2024, after the coverage period, prevents operators from providing services without installing TSPU equipmen

Insider, a Russian investigative outlet that operates in exile in Latvia, reported that the government had acquired technology to conduct “protocol-based blocking” under TSPU. With the ability to block unique protocols that specific platforms rely on,

the government ran another test to disconnect the Runet from the international internet.40 The government reported that the test was successful, though many international and government websites were inaccessible during the two-hour test

The Runet law also gave Roskomnadzor a new role as the government representative at Russia’s country code top-level domain (ccTLD) registrar, which administers the .ru and .РФ domains.

In January 2024, Roskomnadzor blocked the websites of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and “a number of resources belonging to state structures of ‘hostile’ countries for disseminating material aimed at destabilizing the social and political situation in Russia.”112 Roskomnadzor alleged that the CIA and FBI had published false information about the invasion.

In March 2024, a law banning the promotion of bypass-blocking methods came into force.

A July 2023 report from the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab found that takedown orders issued to VK, which is effectively owned by the state through Gazprom and Sogaz, had increased by 3,000 percent since the start of the invasion

Other blocked websites include Ukrainian news sites, international news sites, and Russian news sites that tried to accurately report on the invasion (see B1). After the invasion, a wide range of media outlets shut down, reduced their coverage, or moved their websites outside of the Runet.

Authorities have taken a range of measures, including ordering website blocking271 and content removal,272 to stifle the late opposition figure Aleksey Navalny and individuals associated with his Smart Voting movement

In July 2023, Roskomnadzor announced It would begin issues fines ranging from one to five million rubles ($11,220 to $56,120) to ISPs and mobile operators that fail to install the TSPU system

In December 2021, Roskomnadzor ordered the blocking of Tor and blocked the service using DPI technology, but after lawyers from Roskomsvoboda appealed the ruling, it was overturned in May 2022 (see B1). In July 2022, Roskomnadzor briefly unblocked the Tor browser,362 though a court banned Tor again in the same month.

The law on sovereign Runet also obliges operators to install deep packet inspection (DPI) systems on their networks to filter subscribers’ internet traffic.