Russia is testing a ‘sovereign internet’ that could be completely cut off from the global web | Ukraine and Russia war

RBK says it draws on industry sources. The test means that Russians can no longer use Western services such as Google and Wikipedia, but can only consult Russian sites. In other words, the system acts as a digital “iron curtain”.

However, there are indications that all is not going as well as Russia would have you believe. Similarly, some Russian services appear to have been cut off, including Russian Railways and Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia’s federal service for veterinary supervision and phytosanitary. Russian telecom services Megafon and Beeline also reported problems during testing.

The continued testing and development of the “sovereign Internet” indicates that the Kremlin is continuing its long-term efforts to isolate Russia from Western and world influence. This effort is likely to have ramifications beyond the information domain,” the American Research Institute for the Study of War report said.

The organization is referring to the Russian economy, which is likely to “suffer greatly” from prolonged internet isolation, in part because so much international trade relies on the global internet.