Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law that gives the main domestic intelligence agency – the FSB – the power to shut down the internet within the country.
The law is the latest regulation adopted in Russia to significantly strengthen the powers to restrict news and information within Russia.
This measure also authorizes the Federal Security Service to require internet service providers to disable or restrict access in cases "determined by regulatory legal acts of the president."
This move allows Putin to decide for himself when online communications across the country or in a specific region should be cut off, without being required to give a reason.
