The Kremlin’s pursuit of a “sovereign internet” has raised fears of a digital Iron Curtain. After months of mobile internet shutdowns, Russian authorities have moved to block major platforms like YouTube and Telegram, along with the VPNs people rely on to bypass restrictions. We explore what’s driving the push to isolate the largest country on Earth from the global internet and unpack the political, economic and military implications of the country’s tightening digital borders.Contributors: Daria Mosolova, Howard Gethin, Gleb Borshchevski, Evgeny Pudovkin
Producer: Kriszta Satori
Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg
Music: Pete Cunningham

The Kremlin’s pursuit of a “sovereign internet” has raised fears of a digital Iron Curtain. After months of mobile internet shutdowns, Russian authorities have moved to block major platforms like YouTube and Telegram, along with the VPNs people rely on to bypass restrictions. We explore what’s driving the push to isolate the largest country on Earth from the global internet and unpack the political, economic and military implications of the country’s tightening digital borders. Contributors: Daria Mosolova, Howard Gethin, Gleb Borshchevski, Evgeny Pudovkin Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham

Russia’s 'nyet' to the internet

Looking at the world through the lens of its media. Think of us as your media detectives, helping you get past the propaganda and misinformation. The Global Jigsaw comes from BBC Monitoring, which tracks, deciphers and analyses news media in 100 languages.We reach across multiple time zones, from China and India, to Iran, Africa and Latin America.We watch Russian state TV around the clock, giving unrivalled insight into the evolution of Kremlin propaganda.But propaganda is just part of the information space we inhabit. In its more extreme form, we focus on disinformation that aims to defame enemies, sway elections, and undermine democracy.We have been monitoring jihadist media for nearly two decades, following the chatter from al-Qaeda and Islamic State group, gaining extraordinary knowledge about their aims, their ideological differences and allegiances.We watch the behaviour of Russia’s Putin, Iran’s Khamenei, Turkey’s Erdogan, China’s Xi Jinping and anyone else who might be challenging the established order, seeking to expand their global footprint or export their brand of ideology.At BBC Monitoring, we don’t just speak the language, we understand the narrative. So we can help you untangle the context and single out rhetoric from reality, deception from truth.Find out more about BBC Monitoring on our website: <a href="https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/">https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/</a>

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Looking at the world through the lens of its media. Think of us as your media detectives, helping you get past the propaganda and misinformation. The Global Jigsaw comes from BBC Monitoring, which tracks, deciphers and analyses news media in 100 languages. We reach across multiple time zones, from China and India, to Iran, Africa and Latin America. We watch Russian state TV around the clock, giving unrivalled insight into the evolution of Kremlin propaganda. But propaganda is just part of the information space we inhabit. In its more extreme form, we focus on disinformation that aims to defame enemies, sway elections, and undermine democracy. We have been monitoring jihadist media for nearly two decades, following the chatter from al-Qaeda and Islamic State group, gaining extraordinary knowledge about their aims, their ideological differences and allegiances. We watch the behaviour of Russia’s Putin, Iran’s Khamenei, Turkey’s Erdogan, China’s Xi Jinping and anyone else who might be challenging the established order, seeking to expand their global footprint or export their brand of ideology. At BBC Monitoring, we don’t just speak the language, we understand the narrative. So we can help you untangle the context and single out rhetoric from reality, deception from truth. Find out more about BBC Monitoring on our website: https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/

Looking at the world through the lens of its media. Think of us as your media detectives, helping you get past the propaganda and misinformation. The Global Jigsaw comes from BBC Monitoring, which tracks, deciphers and analyses news media in 100 languages.We reach across multiple time zones, from China and India, to Iran, Africa and Latin America.We watch Russian state TV around the clock, giving unrivalled insight into the evolution of Kremlin propaganda.But propaganda is just part of the information space we inhabit. In its more extreme form, we focus on disinformation that aims to defame enemies, sway elections, and undermine democracy.We have been monitoring jihadist media for nearly two decades, following the chatter from al-Qaeda and Islamic State group, gaining extraordinary knowledge about their aims, their ideological differences and allegiances.We watch the behaviour of Russia’s Putin, Iran’s Khamenei, Turkey’s Erdogan, China’s Xi Jinping and anyone else who might be challenging the established order, seeking to expand their global footprint or export their brand of ideology.At BBC Monitoring, we don’t just speak the language, we understand the narrative. So we can help you untangle the context and single out rhetoric from reality, deception from truth.Find out more about BBC Monitoring on our website: <a href="https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/</a>

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