The Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ marked its 20th anniversary in 2021. Its history goes back to July 12, 2001, when the Regional Public Center for Internet Technologies (ROCIT), the Union of Internet Operators, the Association of Networks and Services and the Russian Institute for Public Networks (RIPN) established the Coordination Center for the National Internet Domain. In 2015, the Russian Ministry of Communications and Mass Media and the Internet Development Institute joined the list of Coordination Center founders. One of the founding members, the Union of Internet Operators, ceased to exist on June 10, 2019.
The Russian Federation was designated as one of the Coordination Center’s founders on June 3, 2020, represented by the Federal Service for Supervision in Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor), replacing the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media in this capacity.
To mark its anniversary, the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ built a website – 20cctld.ru. It presents the milestones in the long journey the Coordination Center and the Russian internet in general have completed over these years, as well as unpublished materials and photos, and articles on the domain industry and the internet in Russia.
In addition, the Coordination Center prepared a series of interviews on Runet’s history with its founders and pioneers. More than 60 videos are available on the center’s YouTube channel, offering viewers an opportunity to learn firsthand how internet technology and the domain market developed in Russia, as well as hear experts share their forecasts on future development. The speakers include former and current Coordination Center directors and staff members, prominent Runet figures, including Alexey Platonov, Yelena Voronina, Alexey Soldatov, Dmitry Burkov, Arkady Kremer, Andrey Kondakov, Kirill Anoshin, Viktor Kutukov, Marina Nikerova, Stanislav Rachinsky, Mikhail Yakushev, Marat Guriyev and many others who stood at the roots of the Russian internet.
Internet Iznutri (Internet from Within) magazine is currently preparing a special anniversary edition presenting some of the highlights from these interviews. This publication can be regarded as a chronicle of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ. Readers will learn about the “pre-historic” era, how a Coordination Group came into being, and why the Coordination Center was created, as well as how the Russian domain space, and its registry, have changed over 20 years, and what will come next. This special issue is scheduled to be released in early 2022, although some of these interviews are already available on the 20cctld.ru website.
The Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ also asked the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, which is part of the National Research University — Higher School of Economics (HSE), to draft a report titled From Digital Opportunities to a Digital Reality. It presents an expert review of the Coordination Center’s activity.
The Coordination Center’s 20th anniversary celebrations were spread throughout the year, both online and offline. This jubilee coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Russian Internet Forum, and many RIF 2021 events marked both dates. The Coordination Center had its own tent where it held a series of entertainment and educational contests for RIF participants titled “Authorization. Show what you know about the internet industry.” The Coordination Center’s accredited registrars held anniversary-themed quizzes and contests at its stand.
Another live event took place in October when the Coordination Center became the Jubilee Partner of the SPEKTR 2020 forum. It featured a session on the development of the Russian internet segment, and all speakers received 20th anniversary badges. In addition, to mark its anniversary the Coordination Center held a quiz for forum participants, as well as a gala dinner.
There were also the usual contests and competitions that are held annually by the Coordination Center and its partners. The Digital Dictation quiz featured a series of anniversary-themed questions on the domain industry and the registry’s work. The participants learned how to register a domain and avoid losing the asset, as well as where to seek protection from phishing resources.
Assignments for the 10th National Digital Literacy Online Contest Explore the Internet & Govern It included a special subject on the 20th anniversary of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ. More than 16,000 school and university students took part in this initiative, and were quite good at answering questions on the Coordination Center and Runet, including their past and present.
“All those involved in creating the national registry and its employees, both past and present, friends and partners, our founders, council members, registrars and registrants came together to celebrate the anniversary of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ. Even if, due to the current restrictions, we were unable to welcome all our friends in a single venue and share our memories on how it all started, we carried out quite a few of the initiatives we had planned, and continued down the path we started 20 years ago. As in the first years of its existence, the Coordination Center manages the .RU and .РФ domain zones, contributes to developing the Russian internet, ensuring cyber security, improving digital literacy and working with young people. We congratulate all who care about the Coordination Center and look forward to further developing the Russian domain space,” Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ Director Andrey Vorobyev said.
