Moscow, Russia. Russia cut off mobile internet services to many customers in Moscow on Tuesday ahead of the annual May 9 parade marking victory over Nazi Germany, which has been scaled back due to the threat of drone attacks from Ukraine.
Security measures and service disruptions
The Kremlin said the limits had been introduced to ensure security amid a heightened risk of Ukrainian drone attacks, but for many Russians the restrictions complicated payments, navigation and communication.
Six Reuters reporters in different parts of the capital found that their mobile phones had no internet access, while telephone calls could still be made from many areas of Moscow.
Operators and companies warn of disruptions
Russian mobile phone operators said there could be problems with mobile internet due to the need to ensure security over coming days. Sberbank, Russia’s biggest bank, cautioned that there could be issues with mobile internet and messaging.
The taxi unit of Russia’s largest internet company, Yandex YDEX.MM, said there could be problems with ordering taxis online.
Reports of wider outages
A monitoring site that tracks complaints about internet access reported mobile internet problems in a host of regions across European Russia, including Moscow and St Petersburg.
Drone war and latest attacks
Four years after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the two sides are engaged in a major drone war, with long-range drones targeting sites including command points and energy infrastructure.
Ukraine attacked one of Russia’s biggest oil refineries on Tuesday, sparking a fire in an industrial area of the Russian town of Kirishi in the Leningrad region, Governor Alexander Drozdenko said.
The Defence Ministry said its forces had destroyed 289 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight.
How have the mobile internet restrictions affected your ability to make payments, navigate, or communicate?
