Russia is reportedly disconnecting itself from the global internet amid the war with Ukraine, days after the nation blocked access to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
• Tweet claimed companies in Russia need to shift their servers to Russia
• Cogent cuts off Russia from its internet service infrastructure
Russia is reportedly disconnecting itself from the global internet amid the war with Ukraine, days after the nation blocked access to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
An unverified tweet from Belarus-based media organization Next, on Monday, claimed Russia will remove itself from the international online community on March 11.
‘Russia began active preparations for disconnection from the global Internet,’ the tweet said and uploaded the Russian government’s directive.
The move followed as the Russian government passed a bill that criminalized ‘fake’ reports against the war and blocked access to Facebook and Twitter on Friday in retaliation for the platform placing restrictions on state-owned media.
Blocking social media and internet
“No later than March 11, all servers and domains must be transferred to the Russian zone. In addition, detailed data on the network infrastructure of the sites is being collected,” Nexta tweeted.
Although there is no official announcement, the document which is claimed to be published by the Russian government, said companies are required to get on a .ru. address and Russian domestic server.
Moreover, on Sunday, Cogent Communications, a U.S.-based company that routes internet data along with intercontinental connections, said it will stop providing services to Russian customers due to the unprovoked invasion.
The move doesn’t mean Russia will not have internet access, but a major traffic conduit has stopped providing internet infrastructure as Cogent operates more than 100,000 miles of optical fiber between and within North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.
Picture Credit: Coda Story