In Moscow, large-scale disruptions to mobile service and internet access have continued since March 5, 2026. The problems first affected the Southern and Central administrative districts and then spread further. According to Novaya-Europe, by March 10 communications were fully or partially down in at least 23 districts, especially in the city center near the Kurskaya, Taganskaya, Baumanskaya, and Kitay-Gorod metro stations.
Users’ phones often still show an LTE connection, but internet access, calls, and text messages frequently do not work. Earlier, the outlet Kod Durova reported that in some areas only websites from a so-called whitelist were accessible.
“They may be caused by security measures. We cannot influence them, and the timing of their end is unknown. For now, we recommend connecting to Wi-Fi,” T-Mobile said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the restrictions were being imposed in accordance with the law and were linked to the need to ensure security. According to Kommersant and an RBC source in the information security market, the situation may also be tied to external restrictions and the testing of whitelists in Moscow.
Cyber lawyer Sarkis Darbinyan, a co-founder of Roskomsvoboda, told Novaya-Europe that the shutdowns are connected to the war and fears of new drone attacks. He said operators are using TSPU nodes to suppress most traffic except for services included in whitelists.
Experts surveyed by Kommersant estimated the total damage to Moscow businesses at 3 to 5 billion rubles, while the Internet Protection Society’s calculator put the cost at about 4.8 billion rubles per day. Courier services, taxis, car sharing, and retailers using mobile POS terminals have been hit hardest. Residents also report failures in parking payments, banking services, online maps, and public Wi‑Fi.