Ahead of Victory Day, Russia plans widespread internet shutdowns across at least 21 regions
Internet Shutdowns in Russia
In the run-up to the Victory Day parades and marches on Victory Day, large-scale restrictions on mobile internet are expected in at least 21 regions across Russia. The independent outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe reported this after analyzing warnings issued by telecom operators, banking services and regional media.
According to the publication, operators and digital services have begun notifying users about potential disruptions in internet access in regions hosting праздничные мероприятия, parades and “Immortal Regiment” marches. Most messages indicate that the ограничения may be in effect from May 5 through May 9.
Warnings about possible outages have been issued by major mobile operators, including MTS, Yota, MegaFon, T2 and Beeline. Similar notifications have also appeared in services operated by Sber and Yandex Go.
Earlier, the BBC Russian Service reported, citing sources, that Moscow could see “more severe” restrictions on mobile communications this year. According to those reports, on May 5, 7 and 9 the capital may limit not only mobile internet, but also cellular service, text messaging and the functioning of so-called “whitelists.”
On the evening of May 4, reports emerged of possible restrictions in Saint Petersburg, Kazan and the Moscow Region. Regional media outlets soon began reporting preparations for similar shutdowns in other cities.
Novaya Gazeta Europe identified such warnings in Astrakhan, Volgograd, Voronezh, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Omsk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Samara, Saratov, Tula, Ufa, Chelyabinsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Similar reports also appeared in regional media in Krasnoyarsk and Smolensk, though local authorities there have denied any plans to shut down internet access.
According to monitoring projects, restrictions have already been observed in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. On May 5, at around 12:30 p.m. Moscow time, the Ministry of Digital Development announced that mobile internet blocks in the capital had been lifted. But, as reported by the monitoring project Amnezia Pulse, the disruptions were still ongoing 15 minutes later.
Residents of the Samara Region, Nizhny Novgorod Region and Moscow Region, as well as Perm Krai, have also reported disruptions to mobile internet.
The backdrop to the current restrictions is heightened security around Victory Day celebrations. Last year, ahead of the 80th anniversary of the victory, Russian authorities for the first time tested large-scale internet shutdowns in Moscow. On the morning of May 7, residents began reporting widespread problems with mobile service and internet access.
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