Online Behaviour Under Scrutiny As Russia Hunts 'Extremists'
Since launching its offensive in Ukraine in 2022, Russia has drastically restricted press freedom and freedom of speech online.
But the new legislation takes digital surveillance even further.
It will slap fines on internet users who search for web pages, books, artwork or music albums that the authorities deem "extremist".
The term has a very broad definition and in Russia can refer to terrorist groups and political opponents alike.
Browsing information on the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny or on the "international LGBTQ movement", both classified as "extremist", could lead to fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($63).
Artyom, who spoke to AFP in one of Moscow's parks, said he was interested in "the future of our country, the policies of our leaders, those of foreign governments."
He suspected his life would "change" after the new law comes into effect in September, forcing him to be careful with every click.
Artyom said he would for example stay away from "sites from so-called 'unfriendly' countries," a term often used to refer to Western states.
And these sites were "the ones that interest me the most," he said bitterly.
Another resident of Moscow, Sergei, said the new law made him "afraid".
Like most of Russians AFP spoke to, he did not want to give his full name.
"Just yesterday, I did some research freely, and tomorrow I could be found guilty," the 33-year-old jewellery designer said.
The new legislation has raised concerns even among Kremlin supporters, drawing rare opposition from around 60 lower house State Duma lawmakers.
"Even young pro-government figures oppose this censorship," a history professor at a Moscow university told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A computer security expert who also wanted to remain anonymous said that the law "violates the principle enshrined in the constitution, according to which reading cannot be punishable."
"Searching on the Internet is now simply dangerous," he said, adding: "The government wants to make everyone afraid."
According to the expert, Russia is inching closer to Chinese levels of surveillance and control.
A prominent Russian rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina, who has been classified by Moscow as a "foreign agent", said the Kremlin's goal was to "sow fear and stifle any will of resistance."
She said the conflict in Ukraine "causes natural annoyance" for the authorities which, "are afraid and begin to take these hysterical measures," the 83-year-old told AFP.
The law also bans advertising for virtual private networks (VPNs), widely used in Russia to get around state blocks on Western sites and circumvent censorship.
YouTube is already only accessible in Russia via VPN, as are the social media platforms of the Meta group: Facebook and Instagram, declared "extremist".
Separate legislation, also taking effect in September, will allow an entire online community to be branded "extremist" if one of its members has been classified as such.
Several communities, particularly those for writing to political prisoners, have already had to close or reorganise in response to the changes.
For Natalia, a 50-year-old school administrator, "this law is just stupid."
She said an entire group "cannot be held responsible" for the activities of a single member.
"So I have to check every time I open my gardening group page to see if one of the grannies has been declared an 'extremist' by any chance?" she said.
But the digital security expert pointed out that internet censorship on a national scale "will be difficult to implement."
According to him, the law would primarily target individuals who had already been targeted by the authorities for their political views.
"We know well that the severity of Russian laws is often mitigated by the possibility of their non-enforcement," the expert said. Since launching its offensive in Ukraine in 2022, Russia has drastically restricted freedom of speech online AFP The new law bans advertising for VPNs, widely used in Russia to get around state blocks on Western sites AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
10 hours ago
- DW
Central Asian migrants face Russia's cold shoulder – DW – 08/21/2025
Russia draws millions of Central Asian migrant workers every year. But the 2024 attack on Crocus City Hall has sparked xenophobia and now it seems the workers are no longer as welcome. For many residents of central Asian countries, Russia remains the only realistic option to earn a living abroad, given a lack of opportunities back home. A shared language, familiar bureaucracy and established migration networks made this a natural transition following the collapse of the Soviet Union. But is Russia still the safe haven for central Asian migrant workers it once was? Increasingly, the answer seems to be no. From tightened checks to rising xenophobia, migrants from the former Soviet countries say life in Russia has become harder than ever. The turning point came on March 22, 2024, when an attack on Crocus City Hall, a large concert venue near Moscow, killed at least 145 people and injured more than 550. The assault was claimed by ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), a violent extremist group based in Afghanistan and linked to the extremist "Islamic State" group. The trial involving 19 suspects began on August 4, 2025, in Moscow and is being held behind closed doors. Four individuals, identified as Tajik citizens, were allegedely the gunmen at the event, the other 15 people are charged as accomplices. The attack sparked outrage, feeding anti-migrant sentiment in Russia , with central Asian workers bearing the brunt of public anger. Following the March 2024 attack, Russian authorities began conducting frequent checks on foreign workers from April, scrutinizing their legal status and compliance with migration laws. Minor violations could result in hefty fines or immediate deportation. Many migrants report being stopped on the street for document checks, sometimes for no apparent reason. Even leaving the country briefly could lead to being added to a deportation list without explanation. Since then, in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other parts of Russia, have introduced bans on migrant workers working in food service, retail, passenger transport and as couriers — the primary sources of employment for immigrants. Over the past year, different types of jobs have been added to the list and employers who violate the bans can be fined large amounts. Deportation rules have been relaxed so that it is easier to send migrants out of the country. Starting in April 2024, Russia conducted large-scale raids targeting "illegal migrants," with the peak in the summer. Over six months, Russian law enforcement detained and expelled around 86,000 foreign citizens, double the number during the same period in 2023, according to Russian human rights organization Memorial. Roughly 17,000 of them were Tajik citizens, compared to 11,000 deported in all of 2023. Some migrants have lost work entirely or have been forced into informal employment. Speaking to DW on the condition of anonymity, one Tajik worker explained, "I used to work in warehouses, drive taxis, and deliver for marketplaces in Russia. I arrived in 2016 after finishing school and found it like a second home, just with more opportunities. The situation has changed abruptly. Now I'm limited to construction. Every day there are new restrictions. It feels like we are no longer wanted here." Nuriya, 23, is finding life in Russia increasingly harsh. "I worked long hours in various low-paid jobs, including at Ozon [a major online retailer], where I went two months without pay," Nuriya, who didn't want to use their full name for privacy reasons, said. "Most of my earnings went to rent and food, leaving almost nothing for my family." Even basic services, like visiting a doctor, were stressful. Through contacts, she moved to Qatar, where she feels more respected and receives her wages on time. With 45% of its GDP coming from Russian remittances in 2024 — the largest proportion anywhere in the world according to the World Bank — Tajikistan is uniquely vulnerable to this kind of pressure. Any tightening of migration rules in Russia threatens not just individual workers but the backbone of Tajikistan's entire economy. Reduced migration and lower remittance flows are expected to slow economic growth, with the World Bank projecting GDP growth to drop from 8.4% in 2024 to 6.5% in 2025. "The large-scale return of labor migrants will inevitably increase unemployment in Tajikistan and strain an already overheated job market," says Maqsud Aripov, a Tajik economist and public policy analyst currently teaching at the Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University in China. "With few employment opportunities available — particularly in rural areas, the influx of returnees will oversupply the labor market, push more people into informal work, and raise the risk of social unrest. This is a big signal for Tajikistan to immediately rethink its migration policy." Aripov Maksud argues that Tajikistan should respond swiftly and comprehensively, focusing on job creation, boosting domestic production, and rethinking its migration flows, as the large-scale return of citizens requires national-level economic and labor planning rather than solely relying on Russia's actions. Parviz Mullodzhanov, a political scientist from Tajikistan, highlights the domestic political dimension behind Russia's tightening of migration policy. He argues that this shift is largely driven by internal political changes and the growing influence of certain populist groups. "The Russian authorities increasingly rely on so-called 'Z-patriots' and nationalists, for whom anti-migrant rhetoric is central. Since these groups are among the most vocal supporters of the war in Ukraine, their political weight has grown, and they are now actively pushing for a complete overhaul of the labor migration system, one that would impose much stricter control over migrants," Mullodzhanov says. However, the expert notes, moving to such a model would likely require the introduction of a visa regime with central Asian countries, something Moscow cannot afford for geopolitical reasons. "While both sides would suffer from such restrictions, in the long run Russia stands to lose more. Cutting labor migration would increase social tensions and risks of instability in central Asia. On the other hand, it could ultimately reduce Moscow's leverage in the region, leaving Russia at risk of losing influence over central Asian states." Mullodzhanov concluded.
Int'l Business Times
11 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Ukrainian Suspect Arrested In Italy Over Nord Stream Blasts
A Ukrainian suspect has been arrested in Italy over the sabotage of the Nord Stream underwater gas pipelines from Russia to Europe in 2022, German prosecutors said Thursday. The suspect, identified as Serhii K., is accused of being part of a cell "who placed explosive devices on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines", they said. He is "believed to have been one of the coordinators of the operation" in which a group allegedly hired a yacht in the German Baltic Sea port of Rostock to carry out the attacks. The Nord Stream pipelines that long shipped Russian gas to Europe were hit by huge explosions in September 2022, several months after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. Western powers were initially quick to blame Russia, which in turn accused them. German investigations then pointed to a Ukrainian cell of five men and one woman believed to have chartered the yacht "Andromeda" to carry out the attack, according to Der Spiegel magazine and other media. Their aim was to destroy the pipelines to prevent Russia from profiting in future from gas sales to Europe. Serhii K. was arrested in the early hours of Thursday in the Italian province of Rimini on a European arrest warrant, the prosecutors said. He and his accomplices are accused of using forged identity documents to hire the yacht that departed Rostock to carry out the attacks, the prosecutors said. German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig thanked investigators for what she called a "highly complex operation" leading to the arrest. Nord Stream's pipelines had long been controversial for allowing Russian gas to bypass eastern European transit routes and leaving Germany overly reliant on cheap energy from Moscow. After Russia launched its Ukraine invasion in February 2022, Western powers sanctioned Moscow, which then switched off the gas flow. Then, in September, seismic institutes reported the underwater blasts and four gas leaks were discovered off the Danish island of Bornholm as gas spewed to the surface. Two of the leaks were in Denmark's exclusive economic zone and two in Sweden's. German prosecutors last year issued an arrest warrant for another Ukrainian man, named as Volodymyr Z., a diving instructor whose last known address was in Poland. He was suspected of being one of the divers who planted the explosive devices in an operation that also involved a married couple who ran a diving school, according to public broadcaster ARD and other media. The case is awkward for Germany and Ukraine, as Berlin has strongly backed Kyiv politically and with defence equipment in its fight against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his government knew nothing about any plan to blow up the pipelines. German and British media have recently reported that Washington and Moscow had discussed the idea of reviving Nord Stream 2, possibly to be run by an American company, during talks to end the Ukraine war. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in May, shortly after taking office, that his government would "do everything... to ensure that Nord Stream 2 cannot be put back into operation".
DW
13 hours ago
- DW
Germany: Arrest made over Nord Stream pipeline explosions – DW – 08/21/2025
The Russian-European gas pipeline was the target of a deliberate attack in September 2022. German prosecutors announced on Thursday that an arrest had been made over an alleged 2022 attack on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines that brought Russian gas to Europe. The suspect, a Ukrainian national, was detained in Italy, they said, thanking their Italian counterparts and other intertional law enforcement for their assistance. Danish authorities detected a series of underwater explosions on September 26, 2022, near the Nord Stream equipment. The suspected sabotage and consequent gas leaks rendered 3 pipelines inoperable. Controversial even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they became even more so after Moscow's war of aggression began in February 2022. As a result, the pipelines were filled with gas but not running at the time of the attack as part of some of the first sanctions against the Russian government. Nord Stream 1 and 2 were just some of the 23 pipelines that brought Russian gas to Europe before the invasion. As the explosions occured in Swedish and Danish waters on German equipment, all three countries launched investigations. In August 2024, German authorities concluded their initial investigation and issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian national named only as Volodymyr Z. due to German privacy laws. Officials said that he had been living in Poland and had chartered a German yacht to carry out the attack. However, a Thursday statement by prosecutors listed the suspect arrested in Rimini, Italy as one Serhii K., who was "part of a group of individuals" that took part in the crime. The Ukrainian government has vehemently denied any involvement in the incident.
