St. Petersburg Economic Forum organizers to jam mobile internet during Putin’s speech

Attendees of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum will be unable to use mobile Internet during Vladimir Putin’s speech on Friday, according to the event's organizers.

Journalist Farida Rustamova, citing a forum participant and employee from a telecom company operating in the area, reported that the authorities plan to jam the Internet to prevent possible drone attacks during Putin’s address.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the jamming is a security measure: “The enemy behaves brazenly and doesn’t miss chances to cause damage, so it’s very important to be collected and mobilized in this regard and to take all precautions.

The Russian president is scheduled to make his speech at 4:00 p.m. local time.