New: Russia To Create Internet Independence

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the country must prepare for possible western attempts to deny it access to the global internet by creating its own self-sufficient ‘segments’ of the web.

Putin’s comments came days after Russian lawmakers backed tighter internet controls to defend against foreign meddling.

Critics say the draft legislation could disrupt the internet in Russia and be used to stifle dissent.

The bill seeks to route Russian web traffic and data through points controlled by state authorities and proposes building a national domain name system to allow the internet to continue functioning even if Russia is cut off from foreign online infrastructure.