Russia to restrict mobile internet in Moscow on Victory Day, including whitelisted sites and SMS
Russia’s Digital Development Ministry announced that mobile internet access in Moscow will be restricted on May 9, including access to whitelisted sites and SMS services.
The ministry said the restrictions were necessary “to ensure security during the Victory Day celebrations on May 9.”
There are no plans to shut down or restrict mobile internet in Moscow on May 7 or 8, the ministry said.
In late April, BBC Russia and later other media outlets reported, citing sources, that mobile communications restrictions were planned in Moscow ahead of the May 9 parade. Sources told the outlets that mobile communications — and possibly SMS — would be restricted on May 5, 7, and 9.
On the morning of May 5, residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg began reporting problems with mobile internet access. Around midday, the Digital Development Ministry announced that the temporary security-related restrictions on mobile internet in Moscow had ended and that access had been restored.
Moscow residents first encountered large-scale internet restrictions a year ago, ahead of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, when mobile internet was effectively unavailable in several districts of the capital for several days.
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