On the eve of the May 9 parades, marches, and the “Immortal Regiment” procession, at least 21 regions of Russia are preparing for large-scale communication restrictions. This was reported by Novaya Europa after reviewing warnings from telecom operators, banks, and regional media reports.
Telecom companies and digital services have begun notifying users in advance about possible disruptions. These notices most often say that mobile internet restrictions are expected from May 5 through May 9 inclusive. Possible outages have been flagged by MTS, Yota, MegaFon, T2, and Beeline, as well as by Sber services and Yandex Go.
Where restrictions are expected
Earlier, the BBC Russian Service, citing sources, wrote that Moscow could face tougher mobile communication limits this year. According to that reporting, on May 5, 7, and 9 the capital could see restrictions affecting all mobile communications, SMS delivery, and the operation of “white lists.” Later, similar reports were published by Ostorozhno, Novosti and Kommersant.
On the evening of May 4, similar measures became known in St. Petersburg, Kazan, and the Moscow region. Regional media then began widely reporting possible internet shutdowns ahead of May 9. Novaya Europa found such reports in Astrakhan, Volgograd, Voronezh, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Omsk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Samara, Saratov, Tula, Ufa, Chelyabinsk, and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Similar reports also appeared in media outlets in Krasnoyarsk and Smolensk, although local authorities there denied that internet access would be cut.
What is already happening
On May 4, communication restrictions were already recorded in Moscow and St. Petersburg. At about 12:30 p.m. Moscow time, the Digital Development Ministry said that mobile internet blocking in Moscow had ended. However, according to the monitoring project Amnezia Puls, restrictions in the capital were still continuing at 12:45 p.m.
Disruptions to mobile internet were also reported that day in the Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, and Moscow regions, as well as in Perm Krai. The outlet notes that last year, ahead of the Victory anniversary, the Kremlin first tested mass internet shutdowns in the capital: on the morning of May 7, Muscovites began reporting failures in mobile communications and internet access.