In Moscow and St. Petersburg on Tuesday morning, May 5, mobile Internet stopped working in many areas. In particular, readers reported that mobile Internet does not work Astra channel on Telegram From Moscow and journalists from St. Petersburg Fontanka publications.
Many complaints about mobile Internet not working in Moscow and St. Petersburg were also registered by the Downdetector and Sboi.rf services. Journalists Msk1 I mentionedThat their mobile connections stopped working and that sites from the so-called “white list” do not open. “rise” He writesThese restrictions do not apply to calls.
On April 29, the BBC Russian service, citing a source, wrote that ahead of the May 9 military parade in Moscow, “more robust” restrictions on mobile communications are planned. One of the journalists’ interlocutors said that on May 5, 7, and 9, the authorities plan to limit all mobile phone communications, and possibly the sending of SMS messages. Caution News reported on May 4 that telecom operators began sending notifications about restricting mobile Internet and SMS sending in Moscow from May 5 to May 9. The corresponding notifications were sent to users in St. Petersburg.
Fontanka, in turn, claims that the restrictions on mobile communications in St. Petersburg are not due to preparations for the celebration of Victory Day, but rather to a night attack by Ukrainian drones.
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In Moscow, at the beginning of March, in the center and other areas of the city, mobile Internet, and in some cases, cellular communications, did not work for several days. The authorities did not specify the reason for the restrictions imposed on the mobile Internet, saying only that they “occur in strict accordance with the law” due to “security interests.” Experts, in turn, suggested turning off the mobile Internet to launch “white lists.”
In 2025, when Russia celebrated the 80th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, mobile communications and the Internet were also limited in Moscow for several days.