title: The occupation of Runet? The tightening state regulation of the Russian-language section of the internet
abstract: In this chapter, we scrutinise the Russian state’s regulation for political purposes of the Russian-language section of the internet or ‘Runet’, as it is often dubbed in Russia. We will focus on those regulative actions which came into force during and after the protest wave in Russia in 2011–2013. Internet and social media played an important role in the mobilisation of these protests that challenged the legitimacy of the ruling elite. We argue that the protests marked a watershed moment in the