RIGF 2024 — The 14th Russian Internet Governance Forum — In-Depth Report: Minutes Digest & 3-Line Summary

The 3-Line Summary

1. The 14th Russian Internet Governance Forum (RIGF 2024) met in Moscow on 9–10 April 2024 in hybrid form — 700+ registrants from 20 countries, nine sessions, 60+ speakers — marking the .RU domain's 30th anniversary.
2. Framed by official claims that the Runet keeps growing despite sanctions, sessions covered AI regulation, cybercrime, data governance and the Global Digital Compact, plus an AI Ethics Code signing and WSIS+20 preparations.
3. The UN IGF Secretariat's Chengetai Masango joined the opening even as the centre of gravity shifted to technological sovereignty — a fixed-point observation of the 'sovereignising' internet.

Welcome — this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on RIGF 2024 — The 14th Russian Internet Governance Forum draws on official outputs, session records and on-site reporting. In a hurry? The three lines above and the diagrams carry the gist.

Conference at a Glance (from official records)

(See the source list at the end of this article.)

Discussion Digest — from the Session Records

Key exchanges extracted from session records and transcripts.

1. The Runet Under Sanctions — "Still Growing Despite It All"

Sessions: Opening session and official summaries (9 April)

"Despite difficulties and sanctions, the Runet continues to develop successfully and dynamically"
— Alexander Shoitov (Deputy Minister of Digital Development) — translated from Russian [2][1]

• Tatyana Matveeva, head of the presidential ICT directorate, stressed that Russia is among the few countries with technological sovereignty and has some of the world's cheapest internet access (per Russian-language coverage) [2][1]
• Duma information-policy chair Alexander Khinshtein called the Runet part of the global network while projecting 97% connectivity of Russians by 2030 [2][1]
• The forum's role as a stage for the official 'not isolated — stronger' narrative was at its clearest this year [2][1]

2. AI Regulation and the AI Ethics Code — A Domestic Framework Past 300 Signatories

Sessions: AI-strategy sessions and the AI Ethics Code signing ceremony (10 April)

• AI strategy filled one of the eight thematic sections, with researchers such as Anna Abramova (MGIMO) and Evgeny Burnaev (Skoltech) weighing regulation against development [1][2][3]
• A signing ceremony added ANO Digital Economy, ad-industry body AKAR, Domclick and SPLAT Global to the national AI Ethics Code, taking it past 300 organisations [1][2][3]
• The event showcased Russia's AI-governance model: an industry self-regulation code rather than binding EU-style legislation [1][2][3]

3. The GDC and WSIS+20 — Aiming at the UN Processes

Sessions: Sessions on international cooperation and the Global Digital Compact

• With the Global Digital Compact heading for adoption at the September 2024 Summit of the Future, and the WSIS+20 High-Level Event due in May, both UN processes were on the agenda [1][3]
• Chengetai Masango of the UN IGF Secretariat joined the opening, while CGITC head Vadim Glushchenko laid out Russia's negotiating positions [1][3]
• Day one's flagship session, "Data Economics: International Cooperation and Technological Leadership," cast data governance as a matter of international competition [1][3]

4. .RU at 30 and the Virtuti Interneti — Honouring a Cybersecurity Veteran

Sessions: Virtuti Interneti ceremony (10 April) and anniversary events

• The forum celebrated 30 years since .RU's registration on 7 April 1994, looking back on the domain industry's growth [2][1][4]
• The Virtuti Interneti award went to Alexey Lukatsky, the cybersecurity expert and long-time RIGF moderator [2][1][4]
• Sections on cybercrime, online safety, and digital inclusion tackled kitchen-table issues from anti-phishing to regional connectivity [2][1][4]

Three-Minute Short Talk — Your Questions Answered

Q. What was the headline?

A. The official verdict that the Runet keeps developing successfully despite sanctions, delivered by a deputy digital minister — read it with the propaganda discount, but it is the clearest statement of the state position on record.

Q. Where did AI regulation land?

A. On voluntary self-regulation: the AI Ethics Code passed 300 signatory organisations — a deliberate contrast with the EU's binding AI Act.

Q. Why should I care?

A. It shows Russia's positioning months before the UN adopted the Global Digital Compact, and its preparations for WSIS+20 — the process that decides the IGF's own future.

What Is Russia IGF? (for first-time readers)

Russia IGF is a National or Regional IGF Initiative (NRI), aligning local internet governance discussion with global IGF principles.

Why It Matters to You

What was discussed here becomes the baseline for national digital policy, platform rules and AI regulation worldwide within a few years. The principles confirmed at the 2024 meeting are the foundation of the "next rules" for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.

Sources & References

1. RIGF 2024 program released — Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ (accessed 2026-07-11)
2. Рунет продолжает успешно и динамично развиваться（ルネットは成功裏にダイナミックな発展を続けている・RIGF 2024報告・露語） — ccTLD .RU/.РФ調整センター (accessed 2026-07-11)
3. Опубликована программа форума RIGF 2024（RIGF 2024プログラム公表・露語） — Rossiyskaya Gazeta（ロシア新聞） (accessed 2026-07-11)
4. RIGF 2024（イベント概要） — ICT-Online.ru (accessed 2026-07-11)

Quotes are translated or condensed from the records listed above. Bracketed numbers [n] refer to the source list.

Related links

• IGF official (NRI list): https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives
• Japan IGF: https://japanigf.jp/
• Yuki Nakazawa's blog: https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/

Revision History

Rev. 1 — published 3 June 2024, 16:00 (Article published)

Rev. 2 — updated 17 July 2026, 12:32 (Fully revised into the in-depth edition: added the 3-line summary, minutes digest, short talk, source list and diagrams (all quotes verified against the listed sources))

— 中澤祐樹