russia is moving to grant the Federal Security Service (FSB) with sweeping authority over the country's communications networks. On January 27, 2026, the State Duma advanced government-backed amendments that would allow the FSB to shut down mobile internet, fixed-line internet, telephone services, and "any other means of communication" in response to vaguely defined "security threats", according to the UK Defense Intelligence.
The bill would compel telecom operators to suspend services immediately upon receiving an order and would shield them from all financial liability for resulting outages. As russian law defines "communications services" as broadly covering voice, text, images, and data transmitted by radio, fibre-optic, or other electromagnetic systems, the amendments would give the FSB unprecedented reach across the entire communications landscape.
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This legislative push aligns with a broader tightening of russia's information controls, including new directives from russian President Vladimir Putin to restrict software from "unfriendly" countries.
If adopted, the amendments would formalize and expand the state's ability to silence communications at scale, reinforcing a trajectory towards deeper state control that has increased since russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
These domestic measures coincide with russia's growing role in exporting censorship and shutdown technologies abroad. Investigations by private media outlets show russia helped Iran build one of the most advanced internet-control systems ever deployed, centred on deep packet inspection capable of throttling apps, blocking VPNs, and tracking protest organizers in real time.
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