Is Europe preparing for a wider war with Russia?

Russian officials have announced plans to allocate nearly 60 billion rubles, equivalent to $706 million, over the next three years to operate a system designed to filter and block online resources. This figure represents a significant increase from the 32 billion rubles, or $377 million, previously earmarked for the same purpose over the next three years.

The funds will be directed to the General Radio Frequency Center, a government agency overseen by Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor. The Automated System for Ensuring the Security of the Russian Internet Segment, or ASBI, will cost 19.87 billion rubles, or $234 million, in 2027; 19.844 billion rubles, or $234 million, in 2028; and 19.87 billion rubles, or $234 million, in 2029.

ASBI is set for modernization between 2025 and 2030, with the objective of enhancing its technical threat countermeasure equipment. This equipment, installed in telecommunications operators' networks under the "sovereign Runet" law, filters all internet traffic within Russia's segment of the internet, blocks specific resources, and curtails tools intended to bypass these restrictions, including VPNs.

The system's hardware and software will be upgraded to accommodate growing traffic volumes and increasingly data-intensive content. The modernization aims to boost throughput to 953.9 Tbit/s by the end of 2030. However, the escalating costs are partly attributed to the rising prices of high-performance processors and memory chips due to the global surge in artificial intelligence demand.

Furthermore, Nikita Tsaplin, CEO of hosting provider RUVDS, posits that the new equipment may also be intended for regions of Ukraine under Russian occupation, potentially rendering these areas' networks "smarter" through the integration of artificial intelligence, a prospect that would necessitate additional funding.