EFF Calls For Release of Alexey Soldatov, “Father of the Russian Internet”

EFF was deeply disturbed to learn that Alexey Soldatov, known as the “father of the Russian Internet,” was sentenced in July to two years in prison by a Moscow court for alleged “misuse” of IP addresses.

In 1990, Soldatov led the Relcom computer network that made the first Soviet connection to the global internet. He also served as Russia’s Deputy Minister of Communications from 2008 to 2010.

Soldatov was convicted on charges related to an alleged deal to transfer IP addresses to a foreign organization. He and his lawyers have denied the accusations. His family, many supporters, and Netzpolitik suggest that the accusations are politically motivated. Soldatov’s former business partner, Yevgeny Antipov, was also sentenced to eighteen months in prison.

Soldatov was a trained nuclear scientist at Kurchatov nuclear research institute who, during the Soviet era, built the Russian Institute for Public Networks (RIPN), which was responsible for administering and allocating IP addresses in Russia from the early 1990s onwards. The  network RIPN created was called Relcom (RELiable COMmunication). During the 1991 KGB-led coup d’etat Relcom—unlike traditional media—remained uncensored. As his son, journalist Andrei Soldatov recalls, Alexey Soldatov insisted on keeping the lines open under all circumstances.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Soldatov ran Relcom as the first ISP in Russia and has since helped establish organizations that provide the technical backbone of the Russian Internet. For this long service, he has been dubbed “the father of RuNet” (the term used to describe the Russian-speaking internet). During the time that Soldatov served as Russia’s deputy minister of communications, he was instrumental in getting ICANN to approve the use of Cyrillic in domain names. He also rejected then-preliminary discussions about isolating the Russian internet from the global internet. 

We are deeply concerned that this is a politically motivated prosecution. Multiple reports indicate this may be true. Soldatov suffers from both prostate cancer and a heart condition, and this sentence would almost certainly further endanger his health.

His son Andrei Soldatov writes, “The Russian state, vindictive and increasingly violent by nature, decided to take his liberty, a perfect illustration of the way Russia treats the people who helped contribute to the modernization and globalization of the country.”

Because of our concerns, EFF calls for his immediate release.