Kushnir noted that the loss of Internet resources is the result of a complex situation that has arisen since 2014. After the temporary occupation of Crimea together with the self-proclaimed republics, Internet operators and providers had to re-register their companies and IP resources to legal entities operating within the local legislation of these regions.

RIPE NCC’s neutrality hurts Ukraine

mature NCC

(Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Center) is the Regional Internet Registrar (RIR) for Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia. The main office is located in Amsterdam. RIR controls the distribution and registration of Internet resources (IPv4, IPv6 addresses and autonomous system numbers) in a given region.

What is particularly unusual in this case is that the transfer of IP addresses takes place in regions in the world that are not recognized by any country.

Unfortunately, the European registrar RIPE NCC, which distributes Internet resources in the countries of Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia according to the provisions of its activity, must maintain its neutrality. Therefore, it accepts documents from companies registered in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine,
Kushnir said.

The legal relationship that developed as a result of these conditions led to a significant loss of valuable resources in the Ukrainian segment of the Internet. As a result, people living in the occupied territories are forced to take Russian traffic. not just it isolates them from information from other countries, but also makes them vulnerable to Russian propagandaWhich flooded the Internet in Russia and its temporarily occupied territories.

The disaster could have been avoided

Kushnir believes that the transfer of IP addresses from the territory of Ukraine to its borders can be stopped or at least submitted to a comprehensive check of the documentation of operators and Internet providers in temporarily occupied territories.

However, the RIPE NCC did not take any preventive measures at the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014. And this could save a significant amount of IP resources inside Ukraine and make it impossible to restrict the access of the occupying Russian authorities to the Internet in these regions.

The loss of valuable resources in the Ukrainian segment of the Internet is a huge problem that needs to be resolved. By raising awareness of this issue, experts hope to spark discussion and action that can help protect the integrity of the Internet and protect people from the harmful effects of propaganda.