Over 450,000 Internet Freedom Restrictions Recorded in Russia in 2021
According to a report by the “Network Freedoms” project, more than 451,500 cases of interference with internet freedom were documented in Russia in 2021. This information was reported by RBC and confirmed by human rights advocates. The full report is available online.
Key Findings from 2021
The past year was marked by several significant trends, according to “Network Freedoms”: 400 criminal cases for online posts, DDoS attacks on independent media, and the word of the year—censorship. Twitter access was slowed, foreign IT giants opened Russian offices, and international rankings placed Russia third from the bottom globally for digital freedom. However, the report also notes some positive developments.
The report defines “interference” broadly, including information bans, website blocking, user data requests, administrative pressure, criminal prosecution, and actual imprisonment. The monitoring does not assess the legality of these actions; it covers everything from the removal of terrorist content on social media to the detention of streamers and online journalists at public events. The “criminal prosecution” category includes not only cases with charges or verdicts but also those with a likelihood of prosecution, such as searches, detentions, and interrogations.
The word of the year, according to the report, was “censorship.”
Statistics and Trends
In 2021, there were 451,518 documented cases of interference with internet freedom in Russia—1.5 times more than in 2020. Most incidents involved information bans and the blocking of specific pages, websites, or IP addresses.
In about half of the cases, website owners or platform administrators removed prohibited content at the regulator’s request, thus avoiding actual blocking. In total, telecom operators blocked 200,000 internet resources. Among those blocked for alleged terrorist propaganda was the “OVD-Info” project website, according to Damir Gainutdinov, co-author of the report and head of “Network Freedoms.”
Criminal prosecution for online statements in 2021 returned to 2017 levels: 401 incidents and 44 cases of actual imprisonment for social media posts (compared to 289 and 31 cases, respectively, in 2020). Most convictions were under Articles 280 (incitement to extremism) and 205.2 (justification of terrorism) of the Russian Criminal Code. One example is the real prison sentence given to Pavel Zelensky, an employee of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (recognized as an extremist organization and banned in Russia), for tweets criticizing authorities after journalist Irina Slavina’s suicide.
Regional Differences and Cyberattacks
The number of regions with the highest internet freedom restrictions slightly decreased: 54 regions were in the “red zone” in 2021 (down from 58 in 2020). However, the situation worsened in several areas, including Buryatia, Karachay-Cherkessia, Komi, Yakutia, North Ossetia, Tuva, Chuvashia, and various territories and regions such as Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Primorsky, Stavropol, Belgorod, Volgograd, Kaluga, Kostroma, Magadan, Novgorod, Omsk, Pskov, Saratov, Smolensk, Tambov, Tula, Yaroslavl, Moscow, and the Nenets, Khanty-Mansi, and Yamalo-Nenets autonomous districts, as well as Crimea. These regions saw a significant increase in interference cases or instances of violence and real imprisonment for online activity.
There were 44 recorded cyberattacks on journalists, civil activists, bloggers, and media outlets, including attempts to hack messengers, social media accounts, and websites, theft of personal data, and DDoS attacks on web resources.
Administrative Penalties and State Control
Administrative penalties increased to 1,806 cases in 2021 (up from 1,222 in 2020), with over half involving media and journalists labeled as “foreign agents.” Most cases concerned the lack of required labeling on posts, messages, or even comments on social networks.
The report notes that as the digital economy develops, the state is building a system of information control, including website blocking. Foreign IT giants, after years of fruitless negotiations, now face a choice: comply with Russian laws and regulatory demands or risk being blocked and losing access to the Russian market. For about 10 months, Twitter access in Russia has been deliberately slowed.
Expert Opinions
Karen Kazaryan, CEO of the Internet Research Institute, says the situation with civil rights is worsening, as reflected in rankings and public opinion, but this does not directly affect the Russian internet (Runet). While 2021 saw fines for foreign companies, little changed for Russian firms. However, the implementation of the “landing law” and tightening regulations in advertising and other markets could make the current year even worse.
Mikhail Klimaryov, executive director of the Internet Protection Society (OZI), praised the “Network Freedoms” report as a monumental effort, noting the difficulty of tracking all legal cases related to internet freedom.
Artem Kozlyuk, head of “Roskomsvoboda,” highlighted the growing number of categories of banned information and the increasing number of agencies authorized to demand content removal. Not only Roskomnadzor and the courts, but also agencies like Rospotrebnadzor, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rosalkogolregulirovanie, Roszdravnadzor, and Rosmolodezh have blocking powers. Even local court decisions can result in nationwide website blocks.
Kozlyuk also mentioned pseudo-public organizations that flood agencies with requests to block content they personally find harmful. He noted the absurdity and volume of some decisions, such as those related to drugs or educational content equated with propaganda. He emphasized that a decision to ban information does not always lead to immediate blocking—some resources remain accessible for years despite bans. Of the more than 400,000 episodes involving information bans, over 200,000 resulted in actual blocking.
Both small and large resources are at risk of being blocked. Major social networks may be slowed or restricted at politically opportune moments, with decisions made at the highest levels due to the financial and social implications. Blocking services like Facebook may not cause public outrage, but blocking YouTube or Instagram is less likely in the near future due to significant commercial interests.
Interactive Map and Additional Resources
An interactive map created by “Roskomsvoboda” and “Network Freedoms” as part of the Runet.report project shows which regions have the most criminal cases, blocks, and internet shutdowns. Users can download data for specific regions and years, and now have the option to build charts and diagrams for comparison. Each case is documented in the database, allowing users to see who was prosecuted and for what online statements.
“Network Freedoms” also released a video summary of the report, narrated by project partner and lawyer Stanislav Seleznev.