How Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Impacted the Internet Peering of the Conflicted Countries
Antonios Chatzivasileiou (University of Crete, FORTH-ICS)
Alexandros Kornilakis (FORTH-ICS)
Katerina Lionta (University of Crete)
Georgios Nomikos (FORTH-ICS)
Xenofontas Dimitropoulos (Cisco ThousandEyes, University of Crete)
Georgios Smaragdakis (TU Delft - Cyber Security)
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Abstract
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine after months of military preparations. Although secondary to the human tragedy resulting from the war, the Internet connectivity in the region was disrupted due to the military conflicts and economic sanctions. We study the Internet peering connectivity of the conflicted countries before, during, and after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our analysis shows that de-peering activity by Ukrainian, Russian, and international networks started months before the invasion at peering facilities in Ukraine and Russia, respectively. De-peering continued after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with only minor changes in peering taking place until end of 2023. Our study shows that several Internet exchange points have stopped operating in Ukraine. We also report that the invasion has impacted the registry country code of operational networks in Ukraine and Russia, creating a new status quo in Internet peering in the region.