Why mobile internet shutdowns are crippling daily life in Russia

Ukrainian servicemen fire a self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops near a front line in Kharkiv region. (Courtesy: Reuters photo)

Katya and her partner were driving from St. Petersburg to Moscow when their phones stopped working. Navigation apps, banking, fuel payments—all cut off. Like many Russians now, they had no warning or explanation. Across the country, mobile internet is being shut down daily, without notice, in a wide range of regions. It’s a wartime measure to thwart Ukrainian drones, but its impact on civilians has been severe, the New York Times reported.

Triggered by drones—but affecting peaceful regions

Since June 2025, local authorities have started turning off mobile internet—not cellular calls, just app-based data—when drones are suspected nearby. This is supposed to interfere with drones that may use 4G networks for navigation. But shutdowns have also occurred in places like Khabarovsk, near the Chinese border, far from any known drone activity. Critics say the government may be using the drone threat as a pretext for broader information control.

Widespread outages across 70+ regions

Volunteers tracking Russia’s digital landscape say mobile data is down every day in 73 of Russia’s 83 regions. There is no official schedule or map of where and when shutdowns will occur. Instead, residents experience sudden outages that leave them unable to pay tolls, book taxis, or top up their debit cards. These issues especially affect people who depend entirely on smartphones for internet access.

Disruptions hit transport, utilities, and business

Ordinary services are being affected. In Rostov-on-Don, transport cards failed during outages, and parents had to send bus fare by phone to drivers. A city-run heating company in Pskov was unable to finish pipeline repairs due to blackouts. Airports regularly suspend flights during drone alerts, with over 300 flights cancelled in Moscow during one weekend alone.

Public Wi-Fi offered as a band-aid

Officials in areas from Tula to Omsk have begun installing public wireless internet zones so residents can stay online even if mobile data is blocked. Still, many locals remain confused and frustrated. In Izhevsk, a major arms manufacturing hub, a drone hit a missile plant during an outage, and no air raid alert was issued, further undermining trust in the blackout system’s effectiveness.

Humour masks deeper unease

Memes and music videos now mock the outages. A rapper in Rostov jokes, “Show me one bar for the internet.” But some citizens, like remote worker Artyom in Khabarovsk, question the justification. “Drones don’t come here,” he said, suggesting that the blackouts are really about tightening information control, not protecting infrastructure.