Expert forecasts on the future of internet development in Russia
James
2026-09-24
Read time
2 minutes
German Klimenko, head of the board of the Digital Economy Development Fund, shared his expectations regarding the future of the Russian internet sector after the completion of the special military operation. He expressed the opinion that the introduction of strict restrictions, such as systems of approved websites, would not be required on a permanent basis. According to the specialist, most of the current strict security measures are applied temporarily and will cease to operate when the external situation changes.
The difference between restrictions and security measures
Earlier, Vyacheslav Koen, head of the technology agency UserTech, expressed the opinion that the country would face tighter control, including the mandatory linking of phone numbers to government portals and the creation of lists of permitted resources. Klimenko disagreed with this position, emphasizing the need to separate the fight against fraudulent schemes from the restriction of the free internet. He explained that user identification is aimed at criminals, while lists of accessible sites are only needed in conditions of direct physical threat.
The role of external sanctions in resource blocking
The expert also drew attention to the fact that the vast majority of foreign websites and modern artificial intelligence platforms are inaccessible to Russians not because of the actions of domestic regulators, but due to foreign sanctions. Users have to utilize tools to bypass blockings in order to work with advanced neural networks. Klimenko hopes for the lifting of these restrictions by foreign companies in the future. Andrey Svintsov, deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on information policy, also noted that a complete block of services for bypassing restrictions is not planned in the country.
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