February 08, 2023

Censorship, Hack Attacks, and Mass Emigration


Censorship, Hack Attacks, and Mass Emigration
A stylized, futuristic "RU," a symbol of the "Runet," or Russian internet. Wikimedia Commons, Dmitry Rozhkov.

The Russian project "Network Freedoms" released a report on internet freedom in Russia in 2022. According to the document, last year saw a record number of cases of interference with internet communications in Russia: over 637,000.

The cases were mainly related to prohibition of information and blocking websites and IP addresses. Over 190,000 websites were censored because they called for unauthorized demonstrations or because they spread socially significant information that was "unreliable," according to the Russian prosecutor's office.

Researchers recorded 779 cases of possible and real criminal prosecution for statements on the internet, posts, and reposts. According to the report, most cases stemmed from social media posts about the shelling of Ukrainian cities, the deaths of Ukrainian civilians, and losses among Russian servicemen.

Not surprisingly Russia led the world in the number of VPN application downloads. In the first half of 2022, 23.94 percent of the country's citizens downloaded VPNs (34.9 million in total).

The report also noted that hundreds of thousands of IT specialists and at least a thousand journalists left Russia in 2022. According to experts, this has laid the groundwork for the emergence of a “second Runet”: an alternative Russian language internet free from state censorship.

Experts of “Network Freedoms” also noted 371 cyber attacks on Russian websites, more than over the previous eight years combined. The portals of regional publications, as well as federal state information resources were among the victims. In particular, hackers attacked the Hermitage Museum's information displays, Pobeda Cinema's website, and several media outlets from the Amur Oblast.

Further, the hacking of government and corporate databases has become a front in the cyber warfare between Russia and Ukraine. At least 260 personal data leaks affected at least 75 percent of Russians: another anti-record for 2022.

You Might Also Like

Meduza Declared Undesirable
  • January 27, 2023

Meduza Declared Undesirable

On January 26, Russia’s Prosecutor General declared the popular publication Meduza an “undesirable” organization.
A Year of Decline
  • December 31, 2022

A Year of Decline

Russia’s War on Ukraine is exacting deep and enduring economic and social costs on the country.
Russia in 2022
  • December 23, 2022

Russia in 2022

In which we look back at Russia's performance in 2022.
Dangerous Dreams
  • December 23, 2022

Dangerous Dreams

Russians are being fined for their dreams, "likes," and "silent support."
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955