Report: only a rise in rival party support could push Putin to ease Russia’s internet restrictions

The only argument that could push Vladimir Putin to ease Russia’s internet restrictions is a rise in support for parties competing against United Russia ahead of parliamentary elections, Faridaily, an independent Russian political newsletter, reported, citing sources.

Sources within the government told Faridaily that no one “would dare” ask Putin for concessions or push back against the Federal Security Service, which is driving the restrictions. But if rival parties — Russia’s Communist Party, the KPRF, in particular — see their ratings climb, Kremlin officials responsible for electoral outcomes could show Putin the numbers and make the case for reining in the security services.

Parties preparing for the September elections have been speaking out against the restrictions, and Sergei Kirienko, the deputy head of Russia’s Presidential Administration who oversees them, “is clearly allowing them to do so,” Faridaily said. Sources told the outlet they believe Kirienko is also unhappy with the restrictions. His position may be further reflected in the Central Electoral Commission’s decision to allow parties to run campaign messaging on Telegram, Faridaily wrote.

A source who spoke to Meduza said that the system parties had been permitted to speak out against the restrictions, but only “vaguely.” Another source described internet restrictions as “a very painful topic” and said that “not everyone is allowed to speak on it, and only in measured doses.” “If the criticism is about everyday inconveniences, that’s fine. If it’s about something specific like a banking outage — it’s definitely better to stay quiet,” the source said.

Everyone opposes the internet shutdowns and restrictions “except one agency” — meaning the FSB, a senior Faridaily source said. Another source, close to the government, said his teenage children were complaining about the restrictions, telling him: “Come to your senses — what are you doing?”

The day before, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that Russian authorities are reconsidering their approach to internet restrictions out of concern that they could hurt Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings. A Forbes Russia source confirmed that a decision had been made to ease the pressure by loosening restrictions on Telegram.

Telegram has not worked in Russia without a VPN since mid-March. According to sources at several outlets, authorities had planned to block the messenger entirely by April 1. The blocking intensified sharply by March 20 and by April 10 had reached nearly 100 percent. At the same time, residents of Moscow and then St. Petersburg encountered near-total mobile internet outages in some neighborhoods. According to users, only sites on the “white list” — a roster of resources that authorities intend to keep accessible during restrictions — continued to work.

Authorities have also stepped up their crackdown on tools used to circumvent restrictions. The Digital Development Ministry ordered major online platforms to restrict access for users with active VPNs by April 15, threatening to remove them from the “white lists.” Based on user reports, the restriction has begun to take effect.