"Vladimir Putin's burgeoning crackdown on Russia's internet is a 'throwback to the Soviet era', experts say

A report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Putin's internet crackdown was rooted in weakness.

It was an effort to control online narratives, prevent anti-war sentiment and prepare the country for a protracted war with Ukraine, the report from the American-based research institute said.

Sascha-Dominik Bachmann, a law and security professor at the University of Canberra, argued it went further, saying "this is about maximising control, a digital repression even".

"The Putin regime is less optimistic than it appears, maybe because things are not working how they wanted," Dr Bachmann said.

So what are the reasons behind Russia flexing its muscles over the internet?"