A satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shoes a destroyed Tu-22 bomber after drone strike at the Belaya air base in Russia, June 4, 2025. Mobile Internet shutdowns in Russia are the collateral damage of war, a response to Ukraine’s spectacular drone attacks on long-range bombers at Russian bases on June 1. — Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies via The New York Times
Katya’s phone suddenly refused to provide the basics she needed to drive home to Moscow from St. Petersburg. She, her partner and countless others were unable to go online, cut off from their apps for things such as maps, banking, paying road tolls and buying fuel.
There was no warning, no hint how widespread the outage was, no clue how long it would last – but it wasn’t a surprise, either. Russia’s mobile Internet networks now have frequent blackouts because of the war with Ukraine.
