An upcoming report by Charity Wright (former NSA) and Ariel Ainhoren of IntSights looks at the origins and evolution of Russia’s dark web. In 1997 hackzone.ru emerged as one of the earliest underground websites. However, “the first and most lucrative generation of dark websites got taken down by international operations,” Wright says. These websites have been replaced by a new generation, a prime example of which is “Hydra, which has over 1,700 automated shops, and is very successful.”

The researchers state that the Russian authorities take no issue with the country’s hacker forums “as long as they don’t interfere inside Russia.” In order to prevent hackers from meddling in government affairs, Russia has been cracking down on Internet freedoms in recent years. This has resulted in the adoption of the Sovereign Internet Law, that aims to make it possible for the government to disconnect the country’s internet, known as Runet, from the global Internet. Security experts believe that the law could be part of Putin’s cyberwar strategy, and also aims to bolster Moscow’s censorship capabilities.

Read more: The Evolution of Russia’s Dark Web