Wednesday, February 18, 2026 9:00:52 AM

Russia’s State Duma has passed amendments to the Law on Communications that would allow the Federal Security Service (FSB) to block any communications in the country based on decrees from President Vladimir Putin. Lawmakers approved the bill at a plenary session on Tuesday, February 17, advancing it through both the second and third readings. Presenting the amendments and the vote took just two minutes.

Under the measure, telecom operators must suspend services upon receiving demands from the FSB “in cases established by the president’s regulatory acts” .

The initial draft said services could be halted upon an FSB “request” “in cases established by the regulatory acts of the president and the government, in order to protect citizens and the state from emerging security threats”. By the second reading, “requests” were replaced with “demands,” and the clause about protecting the population from “security threats” was removed entirely. References to the government were also stripped out, leaving only the Russian president.

The Russian president will be able to personally set conditions for blocking communications

According to Yevgeny Smirnov, a lawyer with the legal group First Department, once the amendments are adopted, the grounds for blocking communications in Russia will not be limited. “This essentially frees the president’s hands, since he will be the one defining such cases,” Smirnov told the outlet “Agentstvo.”

Another legal expert, Valeria Vetoshkina, said the amendments do not fundamentally change the existing balance of power, but streamline the legal paperwork and formal barriers for FSB demands.

In cases where service is blocked at the FSB’s demand, operators will not be liable to customers for failing to fulfill obligations under service contracts, according to the law. It will take effect 10 days after the president signs it.

(C)UAWIRE 2026