Putin orders FSB to ensure Russians access to healthcare and banking during internet blackouts

Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government and FSB to develop mechanisms ensuring uninterrupted critical services during internet outages. The order concerns healthcare, the state portal Gosuslugi, and banking services. The document was published on the Kremlin website.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government to work with the FSB to develop mechanisms that would ensure uninterrupted critical services during internet outages. According to a document published on the Kremlin website, particular attention must be paid to healthcare, the state portal Gosuslugi, and banking and financial services.

The order appears linked to Russia's ongoing efforts to create a so-called sovereign internet — a separate network infrastructure capable of operating independently even if cut off from the global internet. In recent years, Russia has invested substantial resources in developing such systems that would allow the state to control or restrict network access during crises.

The involvement of the FSB underscores that Moscow treats internet connectivity as a matter of national security policy. Critics have noted that such measures potentially create better infrastructure for censorship and citizen surveillance, not merely for preventing service disruptions.