Russia is regularly switching off mobile Internet connections in large swaths of the country for security reasons, in a sign of the Kremlin’s growing ability to control popular access to technology.
There were a record 654 mobile data shutdowns in regions across the country in June, nearly ten times the number reported in the previous month, according to Na Svyazi, a non-governmental organization that monitors the situation. The blackouts hit banking apps, delivery services and taxi networks and affected areas from Moscow to remote Siberian territories.
The Kremlin is resorting to the blackouts after Ukraine launched successful drone strikes deep in Russian territory, often using mobile signals to aid targeting. Blocking Internet connections during conflicts is becoming more commonplace. Iranian authorities cut Internet access during the 12 days of Israeli air strikes last month, seeking to contain cyberattacks and limit people’s access to information.
The Russian authorities have "normalized a reality where they can just switch off the Internet whenever,” said Sarkis Darbinyan, founder of the digital rights advocacy group Roskomsvoboda.
"This often happens due to security concerns,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
In a series of strikes in early June, drones smuggled in trucks hit airfields, including one in Siberia thousands of miles from Ukraine, damaging planes in Russia’s nuclear-capable long-range bomber fleet.
Internet blackouts are very effective in intercepting hostile drones, so Russians may face regular outages, according to Council on Foreign Relations fellow Michael Horowitz.
The recent wave of mass mobile data outages started on May 9, when Russia celebrates its victory in World War II. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Egypt’s Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi were among leaders from more than 20 countries who joined Russian President Vladimir Putin on Red Square this year for the annual event.
Residents from across the country, including in the far-eastern region of Primorsky Kray on the Pacific coast, have reported mobile data disruptions that can stretch for as long as days, according to Na Svyazi.
Voronezh, a city of one million about 150 miles from the Ukrainian border, faced a mobile Internet outage of more than 24 hours on June 24, according to local residents. One local operator there offered customers 100 free text messages as compensation, the TV Gubernia channel reported. – Bloomberg
