Q3/2021 - Russland

Test eines unabhängigen „russischen Internet“, Juli 2021

Im Juli 2021 fanden in Russland Tests statt, wie sich Russland vom globalen Internet unabhängig machen kann. 2019 hatte das russische Parlament ein Gesetz verabschiedet, das besagt, dass eine solche Möglichkeit zur „Unabhängigkeitsmachung“ technisch geschaffen werden sollte. Begründet wurde das mit Risiken, die mit möglichen US-amerikanischen Sanktionen gegen Russland verbunden sein könnten. Der Test ist nach Auskunft von Roskomnadzor, der russischen Aufsichtsbehörde für Telekommunikation, der auch das Internet untersteht, erfolgreich verlaufen. [1] Nach wie vor bleibt jedoch unklar, was ein „souveränes Internet“ in der Praxis bedeutet. In einem Papier, das im September 2021 einer Arbeitsgruppe des ITU-Councils (CWG-Internet) zugestellt wurde, wird u.a. auf weitere Risiken hingewiesen, die das gegenwärtige Management des Internet hat. Auch dort wird auf unkalkulierbare Konsequenzen von westlichen Sanktionen für das globale System der Zuordnung von Domainnamen und IP-Adressen verwiesen. [2]

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Q3/2021
  1. [1] Russia disconnects from internet in tests as it bolsters security, Reuters, 22. Juli 2021, Russia adopted legislation, known as the "sovereign internet" law, in late 2019 that seeks to shield the country from being cut off from foreign infrastructure, in answer to what Russia called the "aggressive nature" of the United States' national cyber security strategy. The legislation caused consternation among free speech activists, who feared the move would strengthen government oversight of cyberspace. Tests involving all Russia's major telecoms firms were held from June 15 to July 15 and were successful, according to preliminary results, RBC cited a source in the working group as saying. "The purpose of the tests is to determine the ability of the 'Runet' to work in case of external distortions, blocks and other threats," the source said. Another RBC source said the capability of physically disconnecting the Russian part of the internet was tested. It was not immediately clear how long the disconnection lasted or whether there were any noticeable disruptions to internet traffic. The law stipulates that tests be carried out every year, but operations were called off in 2020 due to complications with the COVID-19 pandemic, RBC said. Karen Kazaryan, head of analysis firm Internet Research Institute, said the tests were likely a show of activity after a year of doing nothing and that he did not expect Russia to launch a sovereign internet any time soon. "Given the general secrecy of the process and the lack of public documents on the subject, it is difficult to say what happened in these tests," he said. The Kremlin was aware of the tests, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, describing them as timely and saying that Russia had to be ready for anything. The legislation seeks to route Russian web traffic and data through points controlled by state authorities and build a national Domain Name System to allow the internet to continue working even if Russia is cut off. In June 2019, President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had to ensure that the 'Runet' could function in a reliable way to guard against servers outside of Russia's control in other countries being switched off and their operations compromised. State communications regulator Roskomnadzor said the tests were aimed at improving the integrity, stability and security of Russia's internet infrastructure. In: https://www.reuters.com/technology/russia-disconnected-global-internet-tests-rbc-daily-2021-07-22/
  2. [2] Contribution by the Russian Federation, RISK ANALYSIS OF THE EXISTING INTERNET GOVERNANCE AND OPERATIONAL MODEL, Document CWG-Internet-16/4-E, 9 September 2021: „The question rightly arises: is the existing Internet governance system able to cope with potential threats to the integrity and resilience of the network, to give a worthy response to such a global challenge?“ In: https://www.itu.int/md/S21-RCLINTPOL16-C/en