Russia is taking over Ukraine’s Internet

The city of Kherson in south Ukraine had a problem with the loading of their websites. For the next 59 minutes, anyone connecting to the Internet with KhersonTelecom, known locally as SkyNet, couldn't call loved ones, find out the latest news, or post pictures to social media. They were in the dark. Everything appeared to be normal when the web pages stuttered back to life. Everything had changed behind the scenes, as all internet traffic was going through a Russian provider.

The occupied port city and its surrounding areas have faced constant online disruptions as internet service providers are forced to reroute their connections through Russian infrastructure. Multiple Ukrainian ISPs are forced to switch their services to Russian providers and expose their customers to the country's vast surveillance and censorship network according to senior Ukrainian officials.

The internet companies have been told to shut down their connections if they don't want to be watched by the Russians. New un branded mobile phone sim cards using Russian numbers are being distributed in the region, pushing people towards Russian networks. One of the first steps in theRussification of occupied areas is grabbing control of the critical infrastructure that allows people to freely access the web.

Victor Zhora is the deputy head of the State Services for Special Communication and Information Protection (SSSCIP) in Ukraine. Russian special services will control traffic and restrict access to information resources that share true information.

On April 30th, KhersonTelecom switched its internet traffic to a Russian network, before reverting to Ukrainian connections for the majority of May. Things seem to have changed since May 30. The traffic of KhersonTelecom is being routed through a company that is connected to a Russian national telecom provider. Miranda Media was established after the annexation of the peninsula. The day after KhersonTelecom made its latest switch, state-controlled Russian media outlet RIA Novosti claimed the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia areas were moving to Russian internet connections.

There is a patchwork of over 1,200 different internet service providers in occupied regions of Ukraine. Most of them are forced to connect to Russian telecom infrastructure. Liliia Malon is the Commissioner of the National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications in Ukraine. Ukrainian networks are partially blocked.

The connections are switched. For more than two weeks in June, KhersonTelecom's traffic passed through Miranda Media. Half a dozen networks in Kherson connect to the provider, according to Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Kentik. Madory says it's not a one- time thing. Another company gets switched over to Russian transit every couple of days.

Since the beginning of Putin's war, disrupting or disabling internet infrastructure has been a common tactic. Russian missiles have destroyed TV towers, a cyberattack against a satellite system had knock-on impacts across Europe, and misinformation has tried to break the spirits of Ukrainians. Internet companies in Ukraine have banded together to keep people online despite frequent internet disruptions. The Russian occupation of the south of the country is being countered by the Ukrainians. In March, it became the first major city to fall into Russian hands, and its residents have been living under occupation for 100 days.