The fight for free access to all previous tools of information and communication
Forecast: "Iran - interference of events and forecast of a broader spectrum for the near future" (published on March 6, 2026, link)
S. Dragan:
It appears that around 10-20.03.26, Russians will face challenging times regarding communication issues and the former familiar capabilities of the internet. However, I must say that by the end of April 2026, the situation may change towards fighting for free access to all previous tools of information and communication.
Issues "related to communication and the former familiar capabilities of the internet" have already been discussed in the confirmations of April 5 and 15, 2026.
"By the end of April 2026, the situation changes towards fighting for free access to all previous tools of information and communication." The first mention of this change was in the confirmation of "Initiatives to alleviate tension in the area of internet restrictions" on April 24, 2026.
The aforementioned confirmation states that "at the end of April" Russian President Vladimir Putin "not only commented on the situation but made an unexpected proposal to ease internet restrictions" and instructed the Ministry of Digital Development to ensure the uninterrupted work of the state services portal, payment systems, doctor appointment services, and other important services during internet restrictions.
"We need to work out a mechanism for the uninterrupted work of vital services. As we know, even on mobile phones, in the absence of funds on the user's account, emergency calls are available. In the case of mobile internet, it is necessary to organize work in a similar way," the head of state emphasized in his address to the Minister of Digital Development Maxim Shadaev.
According to him, "the operation of the state services portal, payment systems, and doctor appointment services should be ensured even during general, basic restrictions." The same instruction the President gave to law enforcement agencies.
Putin drew Shadayev's attention to the fact that residents of megacities often face internet connectivity issues and disruptions. The head of state explained this by the swift work to prevent terrorist acts. He also emphasized the need to inform citizens "about what happened," ensure close coordination between law enforcement and civilian authorities to develop optimal solutions, and take into account the interests of the country's citizens from the perspective of law enforcement.
During his speech, Vladimir Putin also gave an instruction related to the work of the most important internet services for citizens. The head of state stated the necessity to work out a mechanism for uninterrupted operation of services vital for citizens.
"Today, as we know, even in mobile phones without funds on the account, users have access to emergency calls. With mobile internet, it needs to be organized in a similar way. That is, the action of the state services portal, payment systems, doctor's appointment services should be ensured even during general, basic restrictions, especially since such technological capabilities exist," said the President.
In addition, he called for close coordination between law enforcement agencies and civilian governance structures to find optimal solutions. The head of state also expressed hope that law enforcement agencies themselves will demonstrate the necessary ingenuity and high professionalism in their work, as well as take into account the vital interests of citizens.
Based on these instructions, events are being planned to ensure "free access to all previous information and communication tools."
After the meeting, the Ministry of Digital Transformation published an expanded list of 500 resources available to Russians under mobile internet restrictions. In particular, the updated list includes resources from hypermarkets "Lenta" and "O'key", the "Dodo Pizza" network, and "Dostavista" delivery service. Additionally, it features "VTB-mobile" and Next mobile operators, "Medsi" clinics, and "Mother and Child" hospitals. During restrictions, Russians can also access the online encyclopedia "Ruviki".
Finally, the "white lists" include resources for car-sharing services "Delimobil" and "BelkaCar", online cinema Premier, channel 360, parliamentary television "Duma TV" and "Sоловьев Live" channel, online media Sport24, and several specialized resources, such as the electronic document management platform.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation also reported that services for blood sugar control were added to the "white list". They allow users to receive information about this indicator from personal medical devices on their smartphones.
The "white list" was created on September 5, 2025. It includes government websites, "Gosuslugi" (Government Services), e-commerce platforms, banks, and several media outlets, including "Vedomosti" (Vedemosty).
Previously, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that internet restrictions in the country would end once security measures are lifted.
The Kremlin representative noted that he understands the inconvenience the restrictions cause Russians. "But this is the period now. Once the need for this measure disappears, the work will be fully restored and normalized," he said.
Emphasizing, the president's spokesperson pointed out that most citizens understand the justification for these measures.
"Vedomosti" contacted the Ministry of Digital Affairs for clarifications on whether it's about expanding the "white list" of services that should operate seamlessly during internet restrictions.
According to the president, continuity of service is proposed to be ensured analogously to emergency communication, says Anastasia Bidjelova, the director of development and operation of telecommunications services at "Telecom Exchange." Currently, such services do not always work, she notes. During mobile internet blocks, websites on the "white list" do not always open, agrees Dominternet.ru service founder Sergei Skvortcov.
Reasons may lie in the complex architecture of the services themselves: many applications access dozens of external resources - mapping services, analytics systems, distributed servers, says Skvortcov. If at least one of these domains is not included in the "white list," some functions stop working, he explains. Another possible reason may be the overload of the Threat Mitigation Technical Means (which block restricted resources), when the filtering system simply cannot handle the traffic flow, the expert notes. Failures may also be related to incorrect configuration of filtering rules: in some cases they block legitimate traffic, while in others they allow unwanted traffic.
Currently, the state has two goals, argues Mikhail Telegin, Deputy General Director for Strategic Projects at Obit. In his opinion, it's not possible to simultaneously introduce new restrictions and fight for the stability of some services. Therefore, it's important to determine what is most crucial at this moment and work on that calmly. The expert attributes the incorrect functioning of white lists to the fact that they were introduced in an operational mode. The mobile operators' resources were not initially designed for such changes, and it takes time to adjust their work, the expert believes. However, the direct presidential order will accelerate the fine-tuning of these mechanisms and the expansion of white lists, according to Bijelova.
"Seamless operation is a complex of human and technical efforts, and the presidential order will motivate companies to work better," - emphasizes Denis Kuskov, General Director of Telecom Daily. It's one thing to work with virtual infrastructure - applications and software, and quite another to work with physical infrastructure - fiber-optic communication lines, he says.
Sometimes, the effectiveness of "white lists" depends on the integrity or routing of the communication cable connecting to the base station. Furthermore, the list has expanded to 500 services - a significant amount of resources that can be challenging to monitor as the issue may not be with the operator but with the service itself, the expert concluded.
This week, Roskomnadzor reported that it has granted access to foreign resources via VPNs for over 1700 Russian companies. According to Vedomosti, operators have requested a delay in implementing a fee for VPN traffic for at least several months. Since there has been no immediate denial, it can be assumed that this is under discussion.
The IT industry is openly opposing restrictions. The Association of Software Product Developers, "Native Software," has sent a letter to the government and the President's administration. It states that the current approach to blocks does not address the necessary tasks but instead creates a host of other problems.
As noted in the Confirmation of April 24, 2026, predicting further events in Russia, S. Dragans emphasizes:
...in all this, there is a completely abrupt and unexpected turn in areas related to communication, the internet, new technologies, media, and financial issues related to the digital theme. A sharp zigzag jumps out, hinting at a revolutionary turn in these areas. But this will not stop the processes of power reconstruction. This process will continue.
(more on the topic to follow)
