Earlier this week, the Russian Government announced that it had conducted a series of tests that allowed the country to completely disconnect from the global internet. The test started out last week and went on for a couple of days and involved multiple local internet service providers and telecom companies alongside the Government.
The main objective of the long series of tests was to see if the RuNet system worked properly. It is a Russian internet infrastructure capable of functioning without access to the global DNS system or external internet. In other words, the RuNet from Russia network is the world’s largest intranet system.
Unfortunately, the Government did not reveal any technical or finer details regarding the tests and how they were carried out. The official spokesperson only mentioned that several disconnection scenarios were tested by the Russian Government. One of the scenarios even included a simulated cyber attack from a foreign country or any hostile entity.
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In a press conference today (26th December 2019), Alexei Sokolov, the Deputy head of Ministry of Digital Development, stated that both “authorities and telecom operators are ready to effectively respond to possible risks and threats and ensure the functioning of the Internet and the unified telecommunication network in Russia.” He aso went on to mention that the test results will be presented to President Putin next year.
The initial testing of the RuNet systems was planned to take place back in April 2019 but had got delayed till now. It was delayed to give the Government time to pass supporting and supplementing laws in the country. This includes the “internet sovereignty” law, which grants the Russian Government power to disconnect the entire country from the rest of the world at will with little reasoning. The grounds on which this drastic measure will be undertaken is apparently for emergencies and “national security.”
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(Via)
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