Russia plunges into “digital silence”: where mobile internet was cut off until the end of the war
12 November 18:58
In the Ulyanovsk region of Russia, residents were left without mobile Internet – the restriction will be in effect “until the end of the war against Ukraine.”
This was announced by the Russian local Minister of Digital Development Oleg Yagfarov, who said that the decision was made by the “federal center” to ensure “state security,” The Moscow Times reports , citing "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the media outlet, local authorities have no authority to influence the situation, and the restrictions can be lifted only after a corresponding decision from Moscow.
Communication problems have been going on for over a week
Residential neighborhoods, social facilities and business centers have been left without mobile internet.
Residents have been warned that only the services on the “white list” – Gosuslugi, Yandex, VKontakte and the Mir payment system – remain available. Citizens are advised to use public Wi-Fi networks.
In how many regions of Russia have internet outages been recorded since the beginning of the year?
According to the analytical project “In Touch,” since the beginning of 2025, Internet outages of various scales have been recorded in more than 50 regions of Russia.
In most cases, the Kremlin explains this as a “need to ensure security” amid attacks by Ukrainian drones. At the same time, Russian independent media emphasize that this is primarily an attempt to control the information space and restrict access to independent sources.
In August, the Russian government actually admitted that the “technical” shutdowns had political overtones to prevent the spread of “unwanted information.”
At the end of October, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree that allows Roskomnadzor to centrally control the Internet – up to and including disconnecting it from the global network in case of “security threats.”
