Putin Orders FSB and Government to Maintain Access to Key Services During Internet Shutdowns

Vladimir Putin has instructed the government and FSB to ensure uninterrupted operation of healthcare systems, the 'Gosuslug' portal, and payment systems during periods of internet restrictions. A report on implementation is due to the president by July 1.

Vladimir Putin has approved directives obligating the government and the Federal Security Service to guarantee Russian citizens continuous access to critical digital services even during periods of internet restrictions. The corresponding documents have been published on the Kremlin website—they were drafted following the president's meeting with cabinet members on April 23.

According to the text of the directive, the government together with the FSB is obliged to "ensure the uninterrupted operation of essential services, including medical care systems, the Federal State Information System 'Unified Portal of State and Municipal Services (Functions)', payment systems, and citizens' access to such services during periods of restrictions on the functioning of the information and telecommunications network 'Internet'". Thus, the directive does not concern canceling restrictions, but rather creating mechanisms that would allow state infrastructure to function despite possible failures or intentional blockages.

FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin have been designated as responsible for implementing the directive. Both officials must submit a report to the president on the work completed by July 1. Russian state media presented the directive in a favorable light for the Kremlin, describing it as a guarantee of "uninterrupted internet access" for citizens—whereas independent sources emphasize that it concerns only individual state services, not free access to the network as a whole.

The directive emerged against the backdrop of years-long practice of slowing down and blocking foreign platforms in Russia, as well as periodic failures of the country's internet infrastructure. The adopted decision effectively acknowledges that existing network management mechanisms are capable of creating disruptions even for services that authorities consider strategically necessary. In essence, the state is preparing for scenarios of large-scale restrictions, in which its own digital vertical should remain untouched—regardless of what happens to the rest of the internet.