It's Begun: Russia Plunges Into Dark Ages. Putin Orders to Shut Down the Internet on Demand - The Russian Dude

In this video, we break down how Russia is rapidly sliding into digital isolation as Vladimir Putin’s regime builds the ability to shut down the internet on demand. What began as selective censorship and pressure on tech companies has evolved into a full-scale system of control, where mobile networks can be disabled, platforms throttled, and access to information filtered in real time. Under the guise of “security,” “sovereignty,” and “protection,” the Kremlin is constructing a sovereign internet designed to keep a state-approved version of online life running while cutting Russians off from the global web whenever it becomes politically inconvenient.

From early crackdowns on independent media and protests, to the 2019 Sovereign Internet Law, and finally to wartime shutdowns after the invasion of Ukraine, this video explains how censorship shifted from blocking content to controlling infrastructure itself. We explore regional internet blackouts, VPN bans, criminalization of online searches, and the rise of a “white list” internet where only government-approved services function during outages. The push toward state-controlled super apps, throttling of YouTube, promotion of RuTube, and forced dependency on domestic platforms reveal a strategy aimed at conditioning society to accept a smaller, poorer, and tightly monitored digital space. This is not about safety or defense — it’s about regime survival, behavioral control, and the construction of an emergency lever that can silence dissent, disrupt protests, and reshape daily life at the flip of a switch.

As Russia plunges into these new digital dark ages, the consequences extend beyond censorship, threatening economic activity, communication, trust, and the basic functioning of society itself.