Ukraine’s internet caught in the crosshairs of Russia’s war
Controlling the narrative online is a deep obsession of the Kremlin. So as Russia occupies more Ukrainian territory, taking over the country’s internet infrastructure has become one of its main priorities.
Routing Ukrainian internet access through Russian providers enables Russian authorities to keep a finger firmly on the pulse of Ukrainian society.
It means Russia can spread propaganda more effectively and have access to the trends and flows of information that are useful for military use.
For citizens of regions like Kherson, in the embattled south of Ukraine, this means that they are now subject to Russian online censorship and surveillance. From Ukraine’s largely uncensored, decentralized web, they have been forced into a centrally governed system.