European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday accused the Kremlin of cutting Russians off from the internet to conceal the country’s economic conditions as sanctions over the war in Ukraine take hold.
“With inflation rising and interest rates skyrocketing, the Russian people are paying the price for the Kremlin’s war of choice … So much so that the Kremlin is responding by restricting the internet and free communication,” von der Leyen told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg.
She added that “Russians feel they are living behind an Iron Curtain once again–this time, a digital one.”
Russian authorities have recently intensified efforts to control domestic internet access, including throttling messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp, tightening restrictions on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and imposing localized blackouts.
However, these disruptions–which have even affected the capital, Moscow–have sparked rare displays of public discontent.
