“For now, I plan to work in Russia,” he said. “How this might change in the future, especially if YouTube is blocked, I don’t know.”
Unlike China, where domestic Internet companies have grown into behemoths in more than a decade, Russia does not have a similarly vibrant domestic Internet or technology industry.
War Between Russia and Ukraine: Important Things to Know
So because it’s been deposited in its own digital ecosystem, the consequences could be serious. In addition to access to independent information, the future reliability of internet and telecommunications networks and the availability of basic software and services of companies and government are at risk.
Already, Russian telecom companies that operate mobile telephone networks no longer have access to new equipment and services from companies such as Nokia, Ericsson and Cisco. Attempts by Russian companies to develop new microprocessors were questionable after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the largest maker of essential semiconductors, halted shipments to the country. Yandex, Russia’s largest internet company, with a search engine more widely used than Google in Russia, warned it could default on its debts due to the crisis.
“The entire IT, hardware and software market that Russia relies on is severely damaged right now,” said Aliaksandr Herasmenka, a researcher on the Democracy and Technology Program at the University of Oxford. Russian authorities could respond by easing rules that would make it illegal to download pirated software, he said.
The Ukrainian government has also pressured internet service providers to end access in Russia. Officials from Ukraine have asked ICANN, the non-profit organization that monitors Internet domains, to suspend the Russian Internet domain “.ru”. The nonprofit has resisted these requests.
Denis Lyashkov, a self-taught web developer with more than 15 years of experience, said the Russian censorship campaign is “devastating” for those who grew up on a less restricted internet.
