The Network Freedoms project spoke about the interference of law enforcement agencies in internet freedom in Russian regions in 2021. In the South of Russia, the most active pressure was exerted in North Ossetia, Chechnya, and Karachay-Cherkessia.

In North Ossetia in 2021, 71 cases of internet censorship were recorded, 13 cases of administrative pressure, two cases of criminal prosecution and violence against the authors of publications. In December 2021, the prosecutor's office of the Prigorodny district blocked more than 60 websites, some of the highest number recorded. Cases of violence included an attack on journalist Ruslan Totrov with a demand "not to write nasty things and lies" about the de-facto President of South Ossetia Anatoly Bibilov and threats from the son of the ex-head of the republic, Zelimkhan Bitarov, to journalists.

In Chechnya, "Network Freedoms" recorded eight incidents of administrative pressure, 21 examples of Internet censorship and four cases of violence. Including an apology for a video criticizing Kadyrov and threats to director Dmitry Glukhovsky, who wrote the script for the TV series Swamp.

In Karachay-Cherkessia, the project recorded 31 cases of Internet censorship, one example of violence against the author, and one criminal prosecution for publishing a comment that, according to investigators, justifies terrorism. In the other federal republics of the North Caucasus, from eight (Kabardino-Balkaria) to 21 (Dagestan) cases of Internet censorship were recorded.