Update: The Digital Development Ministry announced around midday that the “temporary mobile internet blockages” in Moscow had ended. Earlier on May 5, the ministry told the Russian state news agency TASS that it was coordinating with security services and law enforcement agencies to open a “white list” of websites for the duration of the restrictions. Ministry representatives said they would announce the “white list” “immediately after receiving the necessary approvals.” How this list will differ from the “white lists” the Digital Development Ministry has been compiling since the fall of 2025 was not specified.
Mobile internet went dark across neighborhoods in Moscow and St. Petersburg on Tuesday morning, May 5. Readers of the independent Telegram channel Astra reported outages in Moscow, as did journalists at the St. Petersburg-based news outlet Fontanka.
The outage tracking services Downdetector and Sboy.rf also logged widespread complaints about mobile internet failures in both cities. Journalists at the Russian news outlet Msk1 reported that their mobile service had stopped working and that websites on the so-called “white list” were inaccessible. The Telegram news channel Podyom reported that voice calls were not affected.
On April 29, BBC Russia reported, citing a source, that broader mobile communications restrictions were planned in Moscow ahead of the May 9 parade. One source told journalists that on May 5, 7, and 9, authorities planned to restrict all mobile communications and possibly SMS messaging as well. The Russian Telegram news channel Ostorozhno Novosti reported on May 4 that mobile carriers had begun notifying customers of mobile internet and SMS restrictions in Moscow from May 5 through May 9. Similar notifications were also sent to users in St. Petersburg.
Fontanka, for its part, contends that the mobile communications restrictions in St. Petersburg are not connected to Victory Day preparations but rather to an overnight attack by Ukrainian drones.
In early March, mobile internet was down for several days in central Moscow and other parts of the city, with cellular service disrupted in some areas as well. Authorities declined to explain the restrictions, saying only that they were being carried out in strict accordance with the law in connection with security interests. Experts suggested the shutdowns were intended to roll out “white lists.”
In 2025, when Russia marked the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II, mobile communications and internet were also restricted in Moscow for several days.
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