Russia has banned the import of foreign satellite communication equipment, including Starlink terminals, in a move that underscores the Kremlin’s intensifying grip over internet access.
The restriction applies to radio-electronic devices capable of transmitting or receiving signals from foreign satellites, including dual-use systems, unless approved by the State Commission for Radio Frequencies, according to a government decree published by the cabinet’s press service on Thursday, April 30.
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The decision comes as Moscow ramps up efforts to control the flow of information online. Since May 2025, authorities have repeatedly shut down mobile internet across the country, citing the need to counter Ukrainian drone attacks.
Research group Top10VPN estimates that outages in 2025 affected nearly the entire population, with cumulative downtime exceeding 37,000 hours.
On April 26, reports emerged that mobile operators themselves had begun directly restricting users’ access to the global internet.
Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that Russian officials have studied censorship models in China and Iran, including Beijing’s “Great Firewall” and Tehran’s use of internet blackouts during protests – as part of efforts to develop similar capabilities.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned Russians to brace for prolonged disruptions, while analysts at RKS Global say the country could shift to a tightly controlled “whitelist” internet system as early as 2028, allowing access only to pre-approved websites.
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