Stories about Russia
Can Ukraine's internet sustain longer-term attacks and destruction from Russia?
In Ukraine, the internet has become the major front of defense against the Russian invasion. Many experts have been asking why Russia has not tried to destroy Ukraine’s internet infrastructure?
Russia’s cyberwarfare remains limited, while Ukraine is crowdsourcing its own
Since 2008, Russia has been lauded as a cyber superpower. In the past, Russian cyber attacks have taken out electric grids, hacked elections, bankrupted corporations, and disabled military infrastructure. Nations across the world have been bracing for increased levels of cyberattacks, fearing that Russia will retaliate against sanctions by infiltrating global...
Why have attempts to debunk Russian war propaganda on Weibo failed?
China relies on Russian propaganda as the main source of information on the Ukraine crisis. Censorship instruction forbids Sino-Russian antagonism and anti-war declaration. Love triangle analogy has gone viral.
How fascination with Russia’s power is created in the media and on social networks in North Macedonia
In North Macedonia, Russia’s military power is talked about in a way and in a quantity that cannot be found about any other country.
What does Russia's new “hostage-taking” law mean for social media companies?
The new law imposes new obligations on popular foreign websites and social media platforms with over half a million daily Russian users, asking them to register legal entities in Russia.
Court in Russia-occupied Crimea sentences freelance journalist to six years in prison
Vladyslav Yesypenko was detained in Crimea in March 2021 on suspicion of collecting information for Ukrainian intelligence, charges the journalist has denied. While in detention, has reportedly endured torture.
From Kosovo 1999 to Russia 2021: The ‘cheapfake’ photo trend fuelling dangerous propaganda
"It is important to raise awareness of the widespread use of cheapfake images and to acknowledge that some governments use the practice to influence people's opinions."
Russia rose to second place globally in Twitter content removal requests
Russia came in second place after Japan and accounted for 25 percent of global Twitter takedown requests in January-June 2021. Most requests targeted content that allegedly violated local laws against suicide promotion.
Belarusian cyberactivists claim railway system hack to protest Russian troop movements
The hacker collective said it would be prepared to hand over encryption keys if 50 Belarusian political prisoners were released and the presence of Russian troops in Belarus was “prevented.”
New colonization in Russia’s Arctic threatens indigenous rights
Pressure is growing on indigenous activists from Russia’s north, Siberia, and far east, even though the groups are almost totally uninvolved in politics in the literal sense.
Russian censors block website of legal aid non-profit OVD-Info
"We see this as a continuation of the state's attack on civil society. It is no surprise that the attack is now focused on OVD-Info."
Serbian authorities accused of spying on visiting Russian citizens at behest of Kremlin
Russia and Serbia have formed a joint working group to combat protest movements against autocratic and populist governments by suppressing grassroots initiatives, independent media, the opposition and civil society organizations.
Russia blocks access to Tor browser website
The push for greater online censorship is part of the country's "sovereign internet" strategy which seeks to cement centralised state control over internet infrastructure and online spaces.
Campaign to brand Russian journalists and media ‘foreign agents’ picks up pace after elections
The effects of Russia’s ‘foreign agent’ legislation against media and civil society have been direct and deeply troubling. They are now, in effect, deemed ‘enemies of the people’.
Ahead of September elections, Russia tightens grip on remaining online freedoms
Ahead of Russia's parliamentary elections on September 17-19, the state's crackdown on opposition groups, circumvention tools and internet infrastructure has escalated to a fever pitch.
Investigative journalism group OCCRP says it will no longer work in Russia
Drew Sullivan, OCCRP's co-founder and editor-in-chief, said their work in Russia at the moment would do local reporters "more harm than good."
Russia blocks popular website for worker complaints
Antijob, an online database of anonymous complaints about Russian employers, has been blocked by censors following a defamation case brought by a Moscow real estate firm.
Russian court issues bigger fines to social media companies for breaching data localization rules
The data localization law, adopted in 2015, requires all internet companies processing Russian users' data to store such data on servers physically located inside Russia.
Blogger gets prison sentence for branding Kazakhstan's language policies “russophobic”
According to Taichimbekov, the Kazakh state has been "sourcing Russian individuals who speak out in favor of banning Russian television, banning Russian language, excluding it from the Constitution."
More independent media added to Russia's “foreign agent” roster
"As for the list of foreign agents, by now it has so many decent people and publications on it that not to be on this list is simply indecent."
