Russia planning to introduce AI-powered internet traffic censorship – CCD

Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) plans to launch an artificial intelligence-based internet traffic censorship system in 2026, with 2.27 billion rubles allocated for the project.

This was reported on Telegram by the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, as cited by Ukrinform.

“Roskomnadzor plans to launch an AI-powered system for censoring internet traffic in 2026. The state is allocating 2.27 billion rubles (over $29 million) to build this infrastructure for imposing internet restrictions. At the same time, regions are forced to cut spending on public-sector salaries or even on delivering food to remote settlements,” the statement said.

The CCD noted that Russia is systematically expanding its tools of total control over the internet. In 2025 alone, the number of blocked materials increased by almost 60%, reaching 1.29 million. The fastest growth in censorship concerned content related to bypassing restrictions and VPN services – up by 1,235% over the year.

“Russian propaganda proudly presents this process as a move toward ‘digital sovereignty.’ In reality, it is about constructing a digital prison where the state decides what people are allowed to see, read, and say. Prisons – both physical and digital – are among the few things the Putin regime manages to build consistently,” the CCD emphasized.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council uncovered the ZOV propaganda network, aimed at influencing residents of Ukraine by localizing content for major cities.

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