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Ask HN: Is it possible to cut Russia off the internet?

7 points by Yuioup ↗ HN
Russia have been bad actors for a long time now and the reason why they're pulling off the Ukraine invasion is purely through their propaganda being pushed through the internet.

Since ipv6 and DNSSEC never took off, it should be possible to shove them off the Internet:

* Create a DNS black hole for all Russian IP addresses.

* Add all and every Russian and Russian related websites to ad-blockers and Pi-Hole.

* Modify every router to ignore or re-route every traffic around or away from Russia.

* Block all Russian state media and websites on every DNS resolver and ad-block.

* (If possible) Physically cut cables or just turn off physical routers that have any connection to Russia or Russian allies.

I know that people are going to think I'm crazy but you forget how the Internet works: It's a cooperative system and is only as good as long as people are willing to support it.

I know that the Internet was designed to be resilient but the really it isn't. It only takes the effort of a handful of people to shut it down. Isn't it about time we took Russia off the internet?

12 comments

[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 39.8 ms ] thread
Bostonian
I am sympathetic to your goals, but isn't the internet a means of getting around Russia's state-controlled media and communicating to Russians what Putin is doing?
Yuioup
No it isn't. It's a means for Russia to export propaganda to the West. That's why we're in this mess.
atlgator
Perhaps people should learn to check multiple sources instead of trusting random posts on the internet. One would hope for the same to combat American propaganda as well.
unop
Your point is valid but you've completely sidestepped the question and have not entertained contrary possibility. The question is a legitimate one. Don't the people of Russia deserve to learn about their world via the Internet? If for anything, to decide on the objectivity of the news they'd get via a propaganda machine anyway? Surely that's a way of not staving off the potential in grassroots movements to bring about resistance and change.

Access to the Internet should be a human right in today's age. Depriving any nation state of that right is like foisting upon them a poverty greater than an economic one - I'd argue we are all poorer off if we have 2 North Koreas.

salawat
Here's the thing though, we already know Russia has tested cutting themselves off from the rest of the internet This implies they have their Gateways ready to bounce out all inbound traffic. Leaving the door open only offers the possibility of exporting out malicious traffic.

Though again, I'm very reluctant to take the position of cutting off a country because their leadership is being daft. If anything, it would be prudent to leave the door open so resources can be used by the populace to resist.

Unless, of course, there is actually majority support for this action.

throwwwaway
Is it possible to punish everyone in group X because of the bad behaviour of some people in group X? That's called guilt by association.
Bostonian
Economic sanctions on Russia would also impoverish Russians who had no say in the invasion. That's unfortunate, but what is the alternative?
moistly
Sanctions were a factor in ending apartheid. Likewise they can play a part in ending a mobster takeover of nations. Democracy must be kept. Dictatorship must be ended.
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LinuxBender
To answer your question, mostly yes. If a majority of the countries that peer with them added BGP filters they would vanish from the internet. The few remaining peers advertising them would be saturated and overwhelmed.

Should it be done? I don't think so. In my opinion most of the Russian people would not be aligned with what is occurring. Certainly the families of Russian soldiers stand to lose their loved ones just as the families of Ukrainian soldiers stand to lose their loved ones. Soldiers on both sides have kids that will be devastated. I would rather the entire planet get to share their thoughts, share videos of the travesties and let people experience the real pain and loss. The only person that benefits from keeping Russians in the dark is their leader in my opinion.

Along this line lets not recreate the mistakes and shortsightedness of our past. One of my family members had to march German citizens through the death camps of WWII to prove what atrocities occurred. They did not have the advantage of the internet and the civilians only believed what their newspapers printed. I would personally rather we keep the internet as open as possible so that the entire world can see how incredibly ridiculous and disgusting this is as real time and uncensored as technically possible.