Moscow is developing system for total control of internet
The Ministry of Digital Development of Russia, the aggressor country, is preparing new measures to tighten control over the internet.
According to Censor.NET, this is stated in a report by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
According to intelligence reports, Russian authorities are shifting from outright blocking to a more sophisticated system of restrictions. The main focus is on economic pressure and regulatory barriers that will make access to the open internet more difficult.
Expensive internet as a tool for control
Russia plans to introduce charges for international data usage for mobile subscribers. The fee is expected to be approximately $2 per gigabyte.
This approach is primarily aimed at VPN users. If the service is constantly enabled, all traffic may be classified as international. As a result, regular internet use will become significantly more expensive.
The average user consumes up to 30 gigabytes per month. Under the new conditions, this could lead to a significant increase in costs and effectively limit access to alternative sources of information.
The ISP market is under strict control
Separately, Russia plans to revise the regulations governing internet service providers. The government intends to reduce the number of license categories from 17 to three, while significantly raising the financial requirements.
A basic license will require tens of thousands of dollars in capital, a universal license will require hundreds of thousands, and a general license will require over a million. This significantly raises the barrier to market entry.
Such changes could lead to the disappearance of most small companies. Only large players, which the government can easily control, will remain in the market.
In addition, there is a discussion of banning companies that have not installed the SORM system. This system grants law enforcement agencies direct access to user traffic and data.
Russia has previously tightened its control over the internet
- In 2019, the law on the sovereign internet came into effect, allowing the Russian segment of the network to be isolated.
- In 2025, WhatsApp and Telegram began experiencing service disruptions, and users complained en masse about the outages.
- The Russian government had planned to launch a state-run alternative to messaging apps that would include censorship and monitoring.
- Intelligence reports indicated that conditions were being created to isolate the country's internet space.
- By the end of 2025, Russia had become the world leader in the number of internet outages.
