Moscow is stepping up control over digital communications. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced that Russia will block phone calls from 47 countries it considers “unfriendly” without the users' prior consent.
Moscow limits international calls PHOTO: Archive, Truth
Targeted countries include the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, most EU member states, and Ukraine.
In addition to restricting international calls, the authorities will also introduce mandatory marking of them. The measure is part of a wider control offensive, reports Ukrinform, citing the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service.
In recent weeks, Roskomnadzor has blocked several popular platforms, including Roblox, FaceTime, Snapchat and WhatsApp, and the State Duma has discussed restricting international telephony on landlines.
At the same time, the Ministry of Digital Development began to temporarily suspend mobile internet and SMS services for citizens returning from abroad.
As for YouTube, the deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee for Information Policy, Andrei Svintsov, said that the platform will be completely blocked in the next six months to a year.
The authorities invoke “ignoring Russian law” and recommends that users switch to local alternatives such as Rutube or VK Video.
In parallel, the Russian authorities are preparing “kids' SIM cards”, which will allow parents to monitor the content accessed, and continue to block popular digital services such as WhatsApp, FaceTime, Snapchat and Roblox.
