Since June 2025, internet and mobile network shutdowns in Russian regions, which authorities have justified as a response to drone threats, have shifted from occasional failures to a постоянной practice. According to the figures cited in the article, there were 655 shutdowns in June alone, more than two thousand in July, and nearly three thousand by August. At least 69 regions were affected, with communications disappearing completely in 12 of them.
From August, the outages became especially prolonged. In Ukhta, mobile internet was unavailable for 11 straight days, while some cities in Nizhny Novgorod region have remained without service for more than two months. In annexed Crimea, authorities warned residents that shutdowns could become indefinite under the stated rationale of protection from drones.
The article says these measures do not always improve safety. During a drone strike on the Kupol plant in Izhevsk, the emergency alert system did not function properly, and, according to the report, three people were killed. In the Belgorod region hamlet of Krasivo, residents without mobile service or sirens banged on rails to warn one another of danger.
Experts estimate the economic damage from the outages at 748 million rubles per hour. But accounts from residents of Tula, Nizhny Novgorod, Izhevsk, and Saratov show that the consequences also reach into daily life: people cannot call taxis, pay for purchases, find ATMs, or contact doctors, relatives, and emergency services.
“The worst part is that there are no UAV alerts... they simply took away mobile internet,” said Svetlana, a resident of Nizhny Novgorod.
Interviewees told Novaya Gazeta Europe that without mobile internet, trips, notary appointments, and medical visits fall apart, while courier and freight work is disrupted and parents cannot reach their children during alerts. In their words, life without connectivity is possible, but it becomes far more dangerous and difficult.