Russia must defend its part of the internet against ‘illegal actions’ by foreign states – Kremlin

In an environment where Washington is waging trade wars and slapping sanctions on other nations, Moscow must protect its segment of the internet from foreign attacks, the Kremlin’s spokesperson told RT’s Sophie Shevardnadze.

Dmitry Peskov was commenting on the so-called ‘Sovereign Internet Bill’, which was signed into law last month by President Vladimir Putin.

The legislation was meant to keep the Russian part of the internet, called ‘Runet’, running independently in case of a global internet shutdown and other emergencies. The mechanisms laid out in the law would also make vital Russian infrastructure sustainable to powerful cyberattacks, officials promised.

Critics have argued that the law will be costly and difficult to implement but Peskov stressed it is absolutely necessary for Russia to be “self-sufficient” and “sovereign in all our capacities.”

He pointed to the US sanctions against Russia, Iran and the Chinese telecom giant, Huawei (which the US accuses of spying) as examples of hostile “illegal actions” Moscow needs to look out for.

The internet is an international environment but, unfortunately, we are living in a world where international law can be jeopardized by certain countries. We have to take measures of precaution.

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