Runet, the Russian Internet, will it be launched soon? Misinterpreted information led to believe that the Russian government prepared its exit from the global Internet network on March 11th.
While it is primarily to deal with the thousands of cyberattacks in Russia as part of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Runet is nonetheless ready for use.
A misinterpretation of an official letter from the Russian government
March 11, 2022 could have been the day when Russia decided to follow in China’s footsteps by launching its own internet network. In reality, there is (for the moment) nothing. At the origin of the misunderstanding, a tweet from the Belarusian media Nexta which distributed a letter from the Vice-President of the Russian Federation delegated to Digital, Andrei Chernenko. However, contrary to what was previously announced, it does not contain the order to initiate Russia’s exit from the global Internet.
More specifically, Mr. Chernenko there calls for a transfer of all Federation state sites to Russian hosting services by Friday, March 11, 2022 at the latest. According to PrivacyHubthe Deputy Vice-President for Digital also orders that “ all JavaScript code downloaded from foreign sources is removed and to opt for DNS servers located in Russia “. The reactions aroused by a potential exit of Russia from the global Internet network nevertheless reflect a major challenge, especially in the current context.
Indeed, Runet, the Russian internet network, has been ready for use for three years now. The Kremlin has nevertheless communicated that it has no intention of leaving the global Internet network: it has simply decided to strengthen its defenses while the country is facing multiple cyberattacks.
Faced with ever-increasing threats and sanctions, Runet is an ideal response for Moscow
Besides wanting to leave the global internet network, Moscow can find several interests in launching Runet. It could, for example, be a way for Russia to partially free itself from the information warfare that it struggles to conduct outside its borders. In other words, by offering its own information services or even its own closed-circuit social networks, control over the information of the Russian population would only be reinforced. Runet could be a more effective propaganda tool in the service of power.
Finally, if Ukraine’s official requests to cut Russian access to the global Internet network have, for the moment, remained a dead letter, there is no certainty that this cannot happen. As proof, the companies Lumen and Cogent, two providers of Internet backbones, have cut Russia’s access to their network. Accordingly, with Runet, Russia stands ready to react in the event of new sanctions, but could also take the lead at will.
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Cyber support for Ukraine, fight against disinformation: European Telecom Ministers are mobilizing
Sources: ZDNet
, PrivacyHub
, The New Obs
, Digital Factory
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