The head of Roskomnadzor, Andrei Lipov, has highlighted the challenges facing communication networks due to intentional disruptions identified during recent exercises on the security and sustainability of networks under the “On the Sovereign Internet” law.
Lipov addressed the identified issues, stating, “The latest exercises revealed problems related to the survivability of communication networks in the context of intentional disruptions to connectivity and infrastructure. The shutdown of specific network components could impact the availability of communication services within the entire area,” during the Spectrum conference in Sochi.
He emphasized that these exercises have proven to be effective in identifying threats to network operations and devising appropriate countermeasures. As a result, amendments to legislation, including draft concepts for legal regulation and a law on primary communication networks, have been developed. The head of Roskomnadzor expressed hope for their timely adoption.
Roskomnadzor has conducted six exercises on the stability and safety of Runet in the past four years. Oleg Terlyakov, the deputy head of the service, highlighted that the results of these exercises have been instrumental in developing new strategies to ensure the security of communication networks and systems.
The “On the Sovereign Internet” law, passed in 2019, empowered Roskomnadzor to establish routing rules for Russian operators’ internet traffic. In the event of threats to Russia’s internet functioning, the service can centrally manage traffic through the Center for Monitoring and Management of the Communications Network. As per the government’s decree from October of the same year, conducting exercises under this law has become mandatory, requiring at least one annual exercise.
Thus far, four rounds of exercises have been conducted, with the most recent occurring on the night of July 5, 2023. Unofficial reports suggest that during this event, the “international internet” was temporarily switched off to assess the resilience of the Russian segment.