22.10.2026

The quiet internet takeover: how Russia tightened online control without provoking protests

YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Roblox and now Telegram, all these platforms have been banned in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In this article, we explore a key question: how did Russian authorities tighten internet control without provoking mass resistance offline?

YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Roblox and now Telegram, all these platforms have been banned in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. They were the most widely used by millions of Russians every day, many of whom openly criticised the restrictions online. Nevertheless, the bans did not trigger protests or any serious public backlash. In this article, we explore a key question: how did Russian authorities tighten internet control without provoking mass resistance offline?

The quiet internet takeover

how Russia tightened online control without provoking protests

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Фонд им. Фридриха Эберта

российская программа Фонда им. Фридриха Эберта

info.russia(at)fes.de