Megafon and Yota warned St. Petersburg residents that they may encounter “difficulties” in operating mobile Internet “in connection with the preparation and holding of mass events.”
Telecom companies advised subscribers to use Wi-Fi. Ksenia Sobchak posted screenshots of notifications on her Telegram channel “Bloody Lady”.
Sberbank also warned customers about possible restrictions on the Internet and SMS in the period from May 5 to May 9. He writes Local publishing “Fontanka”.
Muscovites have previously received similar warnings from mobile network operators.
Russian media, citing sources, reported that before the May 9 show in Moscow, “more robust” restrictions on mobile communications are scheduled: on May 5, 7 and 9, the authorities plan to limit all mobile communications and SMS sending.
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Russian authorities regularly restrict mobile phone communications under the pretext of “ensuring security.” Against the backdrop of the restrictions, the country has also begun blocking popular instant messengers – WhatsApp and Telegram – and fighting VPNs, as well as introducing “whitelists” of sites and services available during mobile internet outages.