INDE PERSPECTIVE

India covers Russian internet blackouts with visible diplomatic discomfort. Strategic non-alignment — which sees New Delhi maintain close ties with Moscow while claiming democratic values — is put to the test. The Times of India reports facts soberly without editorializing. The Hindu, more critical, notes India itself practices internet shutdowns in Kashmir for years, making any condemnation of Russia hypocritical.

NDTV is most direct: a report details parallels between Kashmir internet shutdowns (world's longest in 2019-2020) and Russian methods. The Indian Express analyzes the technological dimension, noting Russia uses the SORM system (System for Operative Investigative Activities), the Russian equivalent of PRISM, to monitor communications.

Republic TV, pro-Modi, avoids the subject, preferring to cover the LPG crisis and New Delhi's diplomatic successes. The geopolitical framing is revealing: India refuses to condemn its Russian partner, just as it refused to vote for UN resolutions against the Ukraine invasion.

The Global South prism is mobilized differently here: several developing countries practice internet shutdowns (Ethiopia, Myanmar, Bangladesh), preventing unanimous Global South condemnation.