Translated material
Sawdust XXV: How Runet gets out of it - Greenhouse of Social Technologies
Greenhouse invites you to talk about the new landscape of the Runet. We would like to discuss with you what to do in the face of increasing blocking, shutdowns and traffic control. On June 24 and 25, 2026, we will hold the 25th Sawdust Conference.
Who are we waiting for first ?
Representatives of civil society, independent media, lawyers, digital and security specialists, Internet researchers, IT specialists - and anyone who cares about the future of the Internet.
Why such a topic?
It seems that we recently held a conference about the state of the Runet, but in six months everything has changed. Before our eyes, Runet is being twisted out of the global network. Hosters and providers are being twisted. The number of blockings and shutdowns is growing - the state often acts unpredictably.
On the other hand, Runet as a community of users is trying to get out of this situation as best it can. On “Sawdust” we will try to illuminate these complex dynamics. Let's talk about observing authoritarian practices - and how digital resistance fights these practices.
What will we talk about?
- What the new blocking and filtering regime looks like - from white lists and VPN restrictions to “tracking” services.
- What is the role of government agencies and telecom operators in censorship practices.
- What risks have emerged recently for NGOs and media?
- How scenarios for partial and complete shutdowns change
- How technologies for bypassing blocking are developing.
- Traditional block “Landscape Science” : an overview of key changes in Runet and the policy of restrictions that affect access to information, security of communications and the daily life of users.
Anything else?
Yes, our conference program includes sessions on catastrophic scenarios of network outages and degradation, operational and physical security during shutdowns, measuring and documenting blockages, as well as new tools and approaches to bypassing restrictions.
We invite research and advocacy initiatives working to explore Internet freedoms, teams deploying alternative communication channels, and developers creating censorship-resistant tools.
Can I speak at the conference?
Yes. Write to us .
How safe is everything?
As always at Opilki, participation will be subject to pre-registration with verification , and the security and anonymization of participants will remain a priority of the conference.
Program (GMT+3), updated
Program time in GMT+3: Moscow, Minsk, Istanbul.
Day 1. June 24
15:00–15:05 – Start of the conference.
15:05–15:15 – Opening remarks.
15:15–15:40 – Landscape science
An overview of key changes in RuNet over the past six months: the strengthening of the role of white lists, VPN restrictions, “tracking” services, new technical blocking practices and the role of the second service of the FSB in supervising censorship.
15:40–16:10 – Report “Complete shutdown: what Iran and other cases have taught us”
Analysis of scenarios for a total Internet shutdown: technical and political prerequisites, typical steps of the authorities and telecom operators, impact on civil society and what conclusions the Russian context can draw from this.
16:10–16:15 – break.
16:15–17:15 – Discussion “Internet using coupons: how to live in conditions of white lists and DPI”
Practical cases from Russia and other countries where network access actually turns into a permission system: the operation of services on white lists, risks for NGOs and media, legal and technical aspects, impact on users and infrastructure.
17:15–17:20 – break.
17:20–17:40 – Presentation “Riposta – Greenhouse research project”
17:40–17:50 – Summing up the day.
Day 2. June 25
15:00–15:05 – Beginning of the second day.
15:05–16:05 – Practical session “Bypassing blocking-2026: new protocols and communication tools”
Review and practical analysis of new tools and bypass schemes: the use of relays (including the Session, DeltaChat, Ceno approaches), new traffic masking protocols, adaptation of VPN approaches to whitelists and aggressive DPI.
16:05–16:10 – break.
16:10–16:50 – Report, Q&A “Operational security in conditions of a degrading network and targeted shutdowns”
How to plan the work of organizations, teams and communities when communication is unstable: channel separation, minimizing traces, redundancy, preparing for local outages and quickly transitioning to offline operation.
16:50–16:55 – break.
16:55–17:55 – Practical exchange, Q&A “Life after the switch: physical security, alternative communications and scenario planning”
Discussion of plans for a “rainy day” based on the experience of outages: how to prepare teams, what offline solutions and alternative communication channels (radio, local networks, mesh networks, etc.) are worth considering, what minimal sets of actions are needed for NPOs and media to survive long-term outages.
17:55–18:00 – break.
18:00–19:00 – Round table “Measuring shutdowns and blocking: how to document a communication disaster”
Digital volunteering, how to participate in “digital resistance” through research. Research initiatives are discussing how to capture and visualize blockages, what data can be collected under censorship conditions, and how to use the results for advocacy.
19:00–19:10 — Closing of the conference, summing up.
For any questions about the conference, contact us or write via Telegram bot @teplitsa_verify_bot .
We will definitely contact you and inform you about the verification results no later than June 24; an individual link for participation will be sent one hour before the start of the conference.