Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media

Roskomnadzor, officially the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, is the federal executive body responsible for overseeing the country’s communications sector. Its mandate includes regulation of telecommunications operators, internet service providers, postal services, and broadcasting entities. The agency issues licenses for radio frequencies, television broadcasting, and telecommunications services, and monitors compliance with technical standards. It enforces legislation concerning the dissemination of information, including rules on extremist material, data localization, and the protection of minors online. Roskomnadzor also maintains a registry of prohibited websites and has the authority to order their blocking within the Russian network.

The agency’s distinguishing attribute is its central role in state‑directed monitoring and control of online content, a function highlighted by several high‑profile breaches. In November 2022, the Belarusian hacktivist group Cyber Partisans claimed to have accessed internal Roskomnadzor systems, obtaining employee passport data, medical records, emails, and details of surveillance projects aimed at monitoring journalists and online dissent. The hackers released evidence showing that the agency had been using Belarus‑developed software to track individuals, contradicting Roskomnadzor’s initial denial of any sensitive data exposure. Earlier in March 2022, the collective Anonymous asserted that it had exfiltrated approximately 820 GB of internal files from Roskomnadzor, including over 360 000 operational documents and human‑resources databases. That leak reportedly exposed information about the agency’s media‑monitoring and disinformation activities related to the Ukraine conflict, coinciding with heightened state censorship of platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Together, these incidents underscore Roskomnadzor’s specialization in large‑scale information surveillance and its position as a key instrument of the Russian government’s information‑policy apparatus.