For a city as modern as Russia’s Moscow, tasks such as getting directions, calling a friend, or even ordering food have long been done online. However, since early March, citizens have experienced internet and mobile service outages at an unprecedented level, leaving them unable to complete these simple tasks and disrupting daily life for millions.
Russia has long practiced digital censorship, banning most social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Now, however, citizens cannot navigate around the city center or operate mobile apps. These outages have also made it harder to send SMS messages or make phone calls. There have been growing restrictions on the popular messaging app Telegram in an effort to push a state-sponsored alternative, Max, according to CNN world.
The Russian government has been gradually limiting access to websites to what is only on the “whitelist” a list of government-approved apps and services. These shutdowns are not new across the entire country, as provinces near Ukraine have reported not having mobile service for months. However, these recent outages mark the first time that major cities, such as the capital, Moscow, and St. Petersburg, have been subjected to such widespread disruptions, according to AP news.
Citizens feel as though the wool has been pulled over their eyes, claiming that for years they were encouraged to move everything online, as a Russian citizen explained to CNN world that “everything we had been encouraged to rely on is restricted”. Families with diabetic children have lost access to apps that provide information about their glucose and insulin levels. One man was unable to pay for the train ticket because his mobile credit card would not work. People are beginning to fear that they will have to leave Russia, if authorities finalize the blockage of VPNs. However, the main concern is the lack of access to news, which many have feared is going to become completely controlled by the Kremlin, says the Guardian.
AP news says that authorities have tried to present the situation as an opportunity to reconnect with a technology-free lifestyle, but this has been met with frustration and sarcasm from the public. In response to the outages, there has been an increase in sales of paper maps, pagers, mobile phones, and even walkie-talkies.
Why are these blackouts happening? The official, state-sponsored explanation is that they are part of an effort to block the advanced Ukrainian attacks and drones. However, many sources have other theories. The Russian telecommunications authority told the Guardian that the government is “testing how the economy will function under strict restrictions at any time of the year”. These blackouts may be an attempt to see how far the government can push restrictions before businesses are significantly affected. Amnezia analysts believe that these shutdowns could become routine, and there is growing speculation that these smaller blackouts may precede a larger, more complete shutdown in the future.
Another theory form CNN world is that the restrictions are intended to prevent mass protests if the government decides to mobilize additional manpower, which is becoming increasingly unpopular. With the new limitations on civilian devices and communication, experts say it would be much harder for people to create a newsworthy demonstration.
Restrictions on Russian devices have increased to the point of widespread internet blackouts, with only state-approved sites occasionally functioning. As a result, civilians fear what this means for their ability to communicate and access reliable news in the future. While there is an official state explanation, both analysts and civilians believe that alternative motives may be at play.
