Russia plans to briefly disconnect from the internet to see what happens

Russia is planning to disconnect itself from the internet as part of a planned experiment designed to protect the country from state-backed cyber attacks. Internet service providers in the country are working with the Russian government in preparation for the test, which comes in response to a proposed new law that will see all internet traffic pass through Russian servers. When it is passed, the Digital Economy National Program legislation requires the local internet, known as the Runet, to pass through exchange points managed by Russia's telecommunications regulator Roskomnazor. The test will see the Runet separated from the wider internet for a short period of time at some point before 1 April, according to local news agency RosBiznesKonsalting (RBK). Once in force, the Digital Economy National Program will simultaneously protect Russia in the event of cyber war, while also filtering internet traffic to the country in a similar way to the'Great Firewall of China'.