Russia’s State Duma has approved in the first reading amendments to the federal law On Communications that would formally grant the Federal Security Bureau (FSB) the authority to disable mobile, landline internet, and telephone communications on national security grounds, according to The Bell citing the draft bill.

bne IntelliNews closely follows the regulatory tightening in the TMT segment and state takeover of the Russian digital space, as Kremlin pushes for the “internet sovereignty”.

At the same time total internet blackout that was implemented by the Iranian regime during the country-wide protests this month revived speculations on whether such a scenario was possible in Russia.

Now the bill in question amends Articles 44 and 46 of the 2003 federal law On Communications, obliging telecom operators to suspend services at the request of the FSB, rather than the previously broader category of “operational-investigative bodies”, in cases defined by the president and the government “to protect citizens and the state from emerging security threats”, according to The Bell.

Operators are also relieved from liability for failing to meet contractual obligations to clients in case of FSB-mandated blackouts.

The specific criteria for threats, the affected territories, scope, and duration of possible communication shutdowns are not detailed in the legislation. 

Deputy Minister of Digital Development Ivan Lebedev, a former FSB official, stated during the Duma session that technical mechanisms and criteria would be set out in presidential and governmental decrees, some of which would remain classified “so that enemies cannot fully understand them”, according to The Bell.

Lebedev cited drone attacks as an example of threats that could justify communication blackouts, and noted that SMS services might be preserved, although this may be technically unfeasible if mobile connectivity is disabled. 

Legal experts and telecom sources previously told Vedomosti daily that the current lack of coordination among various agencies issuing shutdown orders has caused operational confusion and prolonged service disruptions. The new law reportedly aims to centralise command and eliminate delays.

According to Interfax, the legislation also protects operators from legal liability, after subscribers began filing lawsuits over service outages. The first such case was reported in Volgograd in November 2025. Lebedev reportedly also linked the amendments to the growing number of legal claims.