Mobile Internet outage reported in Russia's Volgograd ahead of visit by Putin and Lukashenko

Residents of the southern Russian city of Volgograd have reported ongoing mobile Internet disruptions coinciding with a business forum attended by Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Locals say the outages have particularly affected the operators T2 (formerly Tele2) and MegaFon. Despite the disruptions, users report they can still make phone calls and send SMS messages.

MegaFon's press office told the local outlet V1.ru that its network is operating normally, suggesting that “any difficulties may be due to external factors.”

Meanwhile, the tech support service Na Svyazi told journalists from Agentstvo that the problems stem from deliberate restrictions on Internet access. The outlet 7x7 noted that similar issues occurred in February 2023, during another visit by Putin to Volgograd.