A Study on Institutional Collision between the Development of Creative Industries and Digital Sovereignty in Russia

This study explores the institutional tensions between Russia’s policies for developing its creative industries and its push for digital sovereignty. On one hand, the Russian government aims to promote creative industries as a key sector for economic diversification and soft power expansion. On the other hand, it enforces strict digital sovereignty measures designed to control digital infrastructure, data flows, and online content. These two policy directions are fundamentally at odds and risk creating institutional collision. Creative industries thrive on openness, freedom of expression, and the exchange of diverse ideas. However, Russia’s digital sovereignty strategy—centered on information control, protection of domestic platforms, and data localization—imposes structural barriers to content creation and distribution. Censorship, the promotion of state-sanctioned “traditional values,” and restrictions on foreign platforms have significantly curtailed creative freedom and limited access to global markets for Russian creators. Domestic platforms, many of which are state-controlled, further restrict content through algorithmic filtering, reinforcing a closed and tightly controlled digital environment. Beyond stifling the growth of its own creative industries, Russia’s digital sovereignty policies also act as major obstacles to its participation in international digital trade. Requirements like mandatory data localization, bans on foreign software, and strict content regulations serve as non-tariff barriers in the global digital economy. These policies may hinder Russia’s engagement in WTO e-commerce negotiations and complicate bilateral digital trade agreements, further isolating the country technologically and culturally. The study concludes that without addressing the fundamental conflict between state control and industry openness, Russia’s creative industries are likely to face prolonged stagnation and a decline in global competitiveness.