Putin weighs into internet restrictions debate

Hello! This week we unpack the biggest issue in Russian politics right now — the power struggle over the future of online restrictions amid bubbling elite and public discontent.

Kremlin on PR manoeuvres as internet backlash bites

The imposition of restrictions on the internet has triggered so much discontent among Russia’s elite and wider society that the Kremlin has been forced to launch a PR campaign to counter the storm. Over the past week, Vladimir Putin twice commented on the situation in public and even called on Russian lawmakers “not to dwell on the bans” — thus holding them directly responsible for the unpopular measures. But nobody is rushing to reverse the rules, not least because the FSB is running its own campaign in support of tighter regulations.