Russia tightens control over Internet: user messages will be stored for 3 years - Center for Countering Disinformation

Starting January 1, 2026, Internet services in the aggressor country of the russian federation are obliged to store all audio, video, and text messages of users for three years, even after they are deleted, and to transfer this data to law enforcement agencies upon request. Previously, the storage period was one year. It was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

According to the CCD, the formal explanation is already classic - "protection against fraudsters". This is the pretext the kremlin traditionally uses to justify any increase in digital control. However, in practice, it means expanding the tools of surveillance, pressure and censorship.

"Even the illusion of private communication is disappearing. Personal messages that have been stored for years can be retrieved at any time by a "comrade major" in search of "extremism," "discredit" or other criminal activity," the Center added.

The Center emphasized that the authorities are trying to get russians to self-censor.

"People will think twice before writing something online, even in private chats. Russia is consistently building a digital state of total surveillance, in which fear becomes a tool of control," the Center summarized.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, by the end of 2025, the aggressor country russia ranked first in the world in terms of Internet outages.