Rostelecom's debt has risen to $8.1 billion amid surveillance costs
The net debt of the Russian state-owned telecommunications operator Rostelecom reached $8.13 billion, or 731.56 billion rubles, in the first half of 2026. The company’s debt burden is growing in tandem with a significant increase in spending on technical systems for monitoring and controlling users.
Despite its accumulated debt and losses, the operator continues to purchase equipment and software to expand its subscriber data collection infrastructure.
Access to Home Networks and Video Surveillance During Elections
The company is implementing a number of technical projects to monitor users:
Router monitoring: Rostelecom has filed an application to register the “Leshy Connect” program, designed for remote management of home Wi-Fi network settings, data collection, and tracking of user activity;
Cameras at polling stations: By the September 2026 elections, the company will install 860 surveillance systems—comprising thousands of IP cameras—in the Altai Krai alone to record events at polling stations.
Financial Performance and Internal Investigations
The operator’s expenses for infrastructure maintenance and development have risen significantly:
Rostelecom’s operating expenses for the first half of the year rose by 11%—to nearly $4 billion (359.8 billion rubles)—due to higher costs for materials, repairs, and network maintenance;
to cover the cash shortfall and refinance its obligations, the company continues to raise funds through loans and issue bonds worth hundreds of millions of dollars (tens of billions of rubles).
In addition, internal corruption schemes are affecting the company’s financial condition. In late July, in Kirov, the head of the company’s local branch was detained while accepting a bribe as part of a case involving the embezzlement of budget funds during the construction of communication lines.
This was reported with reference to data from the Federal Security Service (FSB).
A large-scale internet outage occurred in Russia.
Mobile communications and the internet will be restricted in occupied Crimea.
The Russian Red Cross has begun stockpiling additional humanitarian aid supplies for the temporarily occupied Crimea and Sevastopol following the declaration of a state of emergency on the peninsula.
On the temporarily occupied Crimean Peninsula, local residents report prolonged power outages, fuel shortages, rising prices, and problems with social infrastructure.
