Internet shutdowns are not a significant factor behind Russia’s economic slowdown, said Maxim Oreshkin, the former head of the Ministry of Economic Development and now deputy chief of Putin’s administration.
According to him, there are other, much more important causes: shortages of resources and workers, as well as the slow adoption of new technologies and the need for structural reforms:
“The situation in the economy is very difficult. <...> The figures we see in the negative economic trend are not connected with this factor [internet shutdowns].”
🔵 Earlier, Vladimir Putin explained the decline in Russia’s GDP by long holidays and “seasonal factors.” He cited data from the Ministry of Economic Development: in the first two months of 2026, the overall economic decline amounted to 1.8%. He demanded “detailed reports” on the economic situation, asking “why the trajectory of macro indicators is below expectations.”
🔵 At the end of March, The Bell, citing Kommersant and the Internet Protection Society, estimated losses for companies in Moscow alone at between 0.6 billion and 1 billion rubles for each day without mobile internet, based on the share of the digital economy in gross regional product and the scale of the restrictions. A complete internet shutdown in Moscow would mean damage of about 4.8 billion rubles per day.
🔵 Earlier, Novaya-Europe cited five new figures confirming the slowdown of the Russian economy and the drop in citizens’ incomes. In particular, they indicate that Russians have less and less money: they have significantly reduced consumer activity, and it has become harder for them to service their consumer loans.