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Andrei Soldatov

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Irina Borogan

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March 23, 2022

As Russia sends tanks and soldiers to take over Ukraine, it is also dispatching censors and regulators to strangle the Internet. In this CEPA special series, Senior Fellows Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan argue that both invasions are linked and represent the culmination of a more than a decade-long trend to throttle the free and open flow of information in Russia.

ARTICLES


Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin sits in front of a laptop computer during an online interview in Moscow, March 6, 2001. Putin answered questions live on the internet on Tuesday in an unprecedented webcast from the Kremlin, and said he would protect democracy and market reforms in the country. Credit: CVI/CRB

Part 1: Putin Wakes Up to the Danger of a Free Internet

Inside Russia, the Internet remains up and running, and news from Ukraine has become more and more dangerous to Putin.

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Photo: Protesters hold their lit up mobile phones as they demonstrate in support of jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny outside the Russian Embassy in London, Britain, April 21, 2021. Credit: REUTERS/Henry Nicholls.

Part 2: The Free Internet Stymies Putin

Despite Putin’s best efforts, it has become clear that Russia’s Sovereign Internet filtering system is ineffective.

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Photo: A protester walks away from the Roskomnadzor's office in central Saint Petersburg, Russia March 10, 2019. Credit: REUTERS/Anton Vaganov

Part 3: The Internet is a Western Plot

In 2017, Russia vowed to make its Internet sustainable and self-sufficient. In reality, the Kremlin undertook its first systematic effort to control its cyberspace.

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Photo: People carry signs as they protest against new anti-terrorism legislation approved by President Vladimir Putin that critics say will curb basic freedoms and make it easier for the authorities to stifle dissent, in Moscow's Sokolniki park, Russia, August 9, 2016. The signs read: "Do not talk!" (C), "Guarantor of constitution, leave us at least some of the rights" (L) and "No to choking of freedom with the package of laws by (Russian lawmaker Irina) Yarovaya" (R). Credit: REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev

Part 4: Russia’s Sovereign Internet Takes Root

In 2019, Putin signed new legislation to shut Russians off from information disputing the Kremlin narrative. Western tech helped build the censorship apparatus.

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Photo: RYAZAN, RUSSIA - DECEMBER 17, 2020: A live TV broadcast of the 16th annual end-of-year news conference by Russia's President Vladimir Putin at a home appliances store. Credit: Alexander Ryumin/TASS

Part 5: Russia’s War Against Silicon Valley

When he came to power, Vladimir Putin ignored the Internet. After discovering its power, he has tried to control it. Now, as he wages war in Ukraine, he wants to suppress it. He must not succeed.

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