Russia is looking at whether it can re-route its internet traffic over Asia if the country was disconnected from the European internet network, reports RIA Novosti citing Maksut Shadayev, the minister of digitalisation. russia internet

Russian Internet providers will redirect traffic via Asia in case they are cut off from international exchange points in Europe, Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Maksut Shadayev said at an IT event on Tuesday.

“We have a plan that if Russian providers are completely cut off from international exchange points in Europe, Internet traffic will be redirected via Asia,” he pointed out, adding that Rostelecom, Russia’s main telecom provider, had the necessary capabilities.

According to Shadayev, a precedent has already been set in terms of Russian operators being cut off from international Internet exchange points but European points are currently available to Russian providers.

The media reported in mid-March that the London Internet Exchange (LINX) had decided to disconnect Russia’s Megafon and Rostelecom. The companies told TASS that the move would not affect the quality of their services.

Unlike in China – another country that has tightly controlled Internet access – Russia’s attempt at building a “sovereign Internet” is relatively recent. The country is far more integrated into the global internet, and far more economically reliant on the access it provides.

“Russia is a bit more complicated, because from the very beginning a lot of different domestic and international actors were involved in building the internet infrastructure, and in the IT market there are still too many actors and also private actors, providing different services, infrastructure, and access to the internet, to IP protocols,” Epifanova told Euronews Next. russia internet

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