Major Broadband Service Provider Cuts Off Backbone Internet Network In Russia

Cognet Communications, a major broadband provider in Russia, has officially disconnected its service in the country in protest of the country’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“In light of the unwarranted and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Cognet is terminating all of your services effective at 5 PM GMT on March 4, 2022,” the US-based company said in an email to customers, as per Kentik.

“The economic sanctions put in place as a result of the invasion and the increasingly uncertain security situation make it impossible for Cognet to continue to provide you with service,” it added. 

According to CNET, while the blackout does not mean Russia is left without internet access, the firm did cut the nation off from a major traffic conduit of over 100,000 miles of fiber optic links around the globe.

Though some have praised Cognet’s actions, ZDNet highlighted that the move could make it increasingly difficult for Russian citizens to access news sources online, especially after the Kremlin recently blocked Facebook and Twitter.

“Cutting Russians off from internet access cuts them off from the sources of independent news and the ability to organize anti-war protests,” said Twitter user @evacide.

Rebecca MacKinnon, Vice President of Global Advocacy at Wikimedia, pointed out: “This move by Cognet is misguided. Cutting the Russian people off from the global internet harms those who seek to obtain and share truth.” 

“As usual, civil society groups that disagree with the government and citizens seeking truth are the main victims here,” she added.

Last week, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) rejected a similar appeal to cut off .ru internet address from functioning, arguing that it had to remain neutral. 

“We take actions to ensure that the workings of the internet are not politicized, and we have no sanction-levying authority. Essentially, ICANN has been built to ensure that the internet works, not for its coordination role to be used to stop it from working,” explained CEO Göran Marby. 

[via CNET and ZDNet, cover image via Dotshock | Dreamstime.com]