Russia suffered an estimated $11.9 billion economic loss after President Vladimir Putin ordered a large-scale internet shutdown, a new report says. The move makes Russia the costliest country for internet disruptions in 2025.
The shutdown combined nationwide blackouts with slowed connections and targeted interference, making many Western services unusable while maintaining the appearance of partial connectivity.
A key tactic, called the “16 KB Curtain,” allowed only tiny amounts of data from Western websites like Cloudflare to load. This broke most modern online services without a full blackout.
Experts say these measures are part of Russia’s push for a sovereign internet, or RuNet, restricting platforms like Google and WhatsApp and keeping the option to fully cut off from the global web.
Other countries are tightening controls too. Iran recently imposed nationwide blackouts during protests, dropping connectivity to about 1% of normal levels. Russia’s method, however, focuses on precise, long-term censorship.
Analysts warn such actions not only limit information but also harm economic activity. The report describes Russia’s approach as “infrastructure-level censorship” with huge financial and social costs.
