CaliToday (09/11/2025): In a chilling overnight move that solidifies state control over the flow of information, Russia has passed a new decree granting Roskomnadzor, the nation's powerful state information watchdog, sweeping and absolute authority over the Russian internet.
The legislation, which experts are calling the final piece of Russia's "sovereign internet" puzzle, creates a centralized command structure with the technical and legal power to sever the entire country from the global web.
The new regulations are set to take effect on March 1, 2026.
A New Central Command Hub
The decree effectively transforms Roskomnadzor from a simple censorship body into the central command and control hub for the entire "Runet" (the Russian internet). With direct support from the FSB (Federal Security Service) and the Ministry of Digital Development, the agency is now empowered to:
Issue legally binding orders to all telecommunications operators and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), bypassing previous legal channels.
Forcefully reroute all domestic internet traffic through state-controlled technical systems and chokepoints.
Arbitrarily change data routing paths to manage or throttle information flow.
Unilaterally activate powerful filtering, blocking, or "protective" tools (like Deep Packet Inspection, or DPI) at its sole discretion.
Seize direct, operational control over Russia's entire internet infrastructure in the event of a vaguely defined "threat."
The "Stability" Justification vs. The Reality
The Kremlin has publicly framed the new measures as a necessary security step to ensure the "stability and integrity" of Russia's internet segment, ostensibly to protect it from foreign cyberattacks or interference.
However, digital rights activists and security analysts warn that the law's true purpose is to create a legal framework for total information control. In practice, Roskomnadzor now has the unilateral authority to:
Instantly Block Dissent: Restrict access to any domestic or foreign website, social media platform, or news outlet that it deems a "threat" to state stability, without appeal.
Activate the "Kill Switch": If necessary, Roskomnadzor can completely disconnect the Russian internet from the global network, plunging the nation into a state-controlled digital information bubble.
This move is the culmination of years of effort to make the Runet fully independent of global systems, including testing a domestic Domain Name System (DNS). The March 2026 deadline is seen as the target date for ensuring all technical infrastructure is in place to make this digital secession possible without catastrophic failure.