Russia Says Trump’s War on Huawei Risks ‘Destroying’ Tech World

  • Russian 5G network may cost $7.7 billion to build, Akimov said
  • Deputy premier said conflict with Telegram’s Durov ‘painful’
Maxim AkimovPhotographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

The Trump administration’s fight against China’s Huawei Technologies Co. justifies Russia’s decision to build a “sovereign internet” to protect its domestic network from external threats, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov.

“What the U.S. is doing now -- they’re destroying this world,” Akimov, who oversees telecom, transport and digital economy infrastructure in Russia, said in a June 7 interview at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “But the shrapnel will hurt everyone,” he said.