Russia may be cut off from the Internet: Vladimir Putin

Moscow: In theory, Russia may be cut off from the Internet, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with journalists from Russian media outlets.

“I believe they will think a hundred times before doing something but in theory, everything is possible so we need to create sectors that won’t depend on anyone,” he pointed out.

“I cannot speak for our counterparts for I don’t know what’s on their minds but I think it will cause huge damage to them as well,” Putin said. In his opinion, there will be economic and political damage, and the interests of intelligence agencies will also be affected. “It is their invention, they can see and hear everything you say, so they collect information now but then they will lose this opportunity,” the Russian president noted.

On February 12, Russia’s State Duma (the lower house of parliament) passed the first reading of a bill aimed at ensuring the stable operation of Russia’s segment of the Internet. The bill’s authors particularly suggest reducing the amount of data exchanged between Russian users that is sent abroad. The bill also stipulates that provider companies will have to use technical tools in their communication networks that would determine the source of traffic.