digital-censorship
The Kremlin exerted pressure on social media platforms to block or limit protest groups, exemplified by the FSB's requests to VKontakte to shut down opposition communities.
2 chapters across 1 book
The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries (2015)Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan
Chapter 8 details the Kremlin's multifaceted digital and psychological counteroffensive against the 2011 Russian protest movement following parliamentary elections. It describes coordinated DDOS attacks targeting independent media and protest-related websites, attempts to censor social media groups, and the use of kompromat to divide opposition leaders. Despite these efforts—including pressure on platforms like VKontakte and the deployment of Kremlin-aligned youth movements—the protests persisted, amplified by alternative social media channels like Facebook, culminating in Putin's televised call-in show where he deflected blame and proposed superficial reforms.
Chapter 13, "The Big Red Button," details the Russian government's escalating digital censorship and repression in response to the 2014 Ukraine crisis and domestic dissent. It chronicles the blocking of Ukrainian nationalist groups on VKontakte, suppression of opposition blogs and independent media such as Navalny's blog and Dozhd TV, and the Kremlin's attempts to control online narratives through Roskomnadzor and other regulatory bodies. The chapter also highlights resistance efforts by activists and the challenges faced by independent media under increasing state pressure.