Russia plans to increase funding for the technical blocking of online content and for state propaganda. These expenditures are set out in the draft federal budget of the Russian Federation for 2027–2029.
This was reported by Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
According to the agency, in 2027 $238 million is planned for the operation of the automated internet security system overseen by Roskomnadzor. That is twice as much as the previous budget draft had envisaged for that year.
Overall, in 2027–2029, almost $719 million is earmarked for technical control of internet traffic. The funds are to be directed towards modernising tools to counter so-called internet threats.
The Kremlin is also considering using artificial intelligence to identify encrypted traffic and automatically block non-standard VPN protocols in real time.
According to intelligence information, in the first week after the sham elections to the State Duma, access was restricted to at least 10 VPN services.
In addition, under an order by Roskomnadzor, the federal state unitary enterprise Main Radio Frequency Centre is required to ensure the blocking of 92% of available VPN services by 2030. After the information was made public, the document was removed from open access.
At the same time, the Kremlin plans to ramp up spending on state and pro-government media. In 2027, $1.74 billion was allocated for them and for information support, which is 45% more than in the previous budget draft.
A further more than $153 million is planned to be directed towards informational, explanatory and expert-sociological support for Putin’s initiatives in the media and on social networks.
Total funding for state media and information support in 2027–2029, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, is expected to reach $4.07 billion.
Intelligence officials note that Moscow is simultaneously tightening technical restrictions on access to alternative information and increasing funding for its own propaganda system. Control over the information space remains one of the key tools for maintaining power in Russia.