US EditionMoscow Businesses Reel as Mobile Internet Blackout Enters Second Week
Moscow's mobile internet outages, attributed to security against drone attacks, have disrupted business and daily life, costing up to $12.5 million daily, officials said.
- On March 5, mobile internet shutdowns began on some outskirts and then swept into downtown earlier this week, blocking many foreign websites and disrupting millions of Moscow residents and businesses.
- Russian authorities have adopted new restrictive laws and promoted domestic platforms to control online traffic, banning noncompliant sites and pushing the national messenger MAX, which critics view as a surveillance tool.
- Businesses that rely on mobile payments faced direct revenue losses, with Kommersant estimating Moscow firms lost about $38 million to $63 million in five days; ATMs and parking meters relying on cellphone internet stopped working, forcing taxi apps to use phone calls and cash payments.
- On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov defended the shutdowns as 'in strict conformity with the law' and said parliament members reported near-total mobile outages in the lower house building.
- Amid shutdowns, previously obscure devices like pagers and walkie-talkies saw renewed interest as retailers recorded surging demand for alternative devices, while technology to monitor and manipulate online traffic has been perfected.
135 Articles
135 Articles
The Kremlin has stated that the internet restrictions are necessary "for security reasons." Residents are wondering if a total internet blockade is imminent.
REPORTING - Social networks are largely blocked in the capital and other major Russian cities, officially to protect it from Ukrainian drones... A pretext that allows the authorities to tighten the screw on the control of communications.
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Russia Tests Internet Shutdown System, Disrupting Life In Moscow
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief MOSCOW (Worthy News) – Russia is expanding tests of a nationwide system designed to shut down internet access during times of unrest, leaving millions in Moscow temporarily cut off from mobile data and online services, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. In recent days, residents of the Russian capital—home to more than 13 million people—have struggled to perform routine tas…
For over a week, parts of the mobile network have stopped working for Muscovites, who have started using walkie-talkies and pagers. Analysts warn that the restrictions could be a way for the Kremlin to prepare for new mobilizations. “They are stress testing the system,” says Russia expert Martin Kragh.
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