In connection with the Russian government’s implementation of the “internet Sovereignty” law, which President Vladimir Putin ratified last May 2019, it was announced early this week that related tests of the RuNet has been completed.
Initial implementation of the law set into motion measures that required Russian telecommunications firms to apply mechanisms that will reroute Internet traffic to the government’s regulatory telecommunications system — a move that ensures no traffic will be routed in and/or out of Russia without the government’s approval.
The recent announcement did not specify details about the tests, aside from mentioning that the set of reviews involved a series of disconnection scenarios. Inasmuch as the “Internet Sovereignty Law” focuses on the segregation of the RuNet from the global Internet connections, completion of that tests signifies that the Russian Intranet system will be able to prevent any hostile cyber-attacks that could be launched by a foreign country. .
Russia’s Digital Communications Minister Aleksei Sokolov explained to reporters that the primary goal of the tests is to ensure that uninterrupted internet service will be available across Russian territories under any circumstances. He added that
”The outcomes of the tests showed that the Internet and communications are operating effectively, which means government agencies are now ready to respond effectively against threats to Russia’s national security.”
About the Russian Government’s RuNet
Historically, the term Runet referred to Russian language Internet covering not only websites falling under the ru.domain in the global Internet system, but also all Russian-language or Russian-oriented websites.
However, with the government’s frequent use of RuNet in referring to the Intranet infrastructure that will carry out the country’s Internet Sovereignty law, the term has become synonymous to the system that will implement Russia’s Internet censorship laws.
The RuNet system also applies to copyrights, corporate and advertising campaigns that make use of Internet connections within Russian territory.