Moscow Internet Outages Prompt Communication Shift

Moscow residents and businesses are experiencing widespread internet disruptions, leading to increased reliance on alternative communication methods like walkie-talkies and pagers. These outages, which began approximately one week ago in central Moscow and St.

Petersburg, have been attributed by the Kremlin to "security" measures, without further specific details. Human rights activists suggest the disruptions may be linked to testing a new "whitelist" system, which would restrict internet access to government-approved websites.

The internet shutdowns have significantly impacted daily life and economic activity. Users reported difficulties with essential services such as taxi apps and email, while businesses, including courier services and retail, face estimated daily losses of approximately 1 billion rubles ($12.6 million) in Moscow. Data from e-commerce platforms indicate a 27% rise in walkie-talkie sales and a 73% increase in pager sales, alongside a nearly threefold surge in demand for paper maps of Moscow.

These recent disruptions follow a pattern of increasing internet control in Russia, which ranked first globally for internet disruptions in 2025. Russian officials have previously cited thwarting Ukrainian drone attacks as a reason for such measures. The current outages coincide with a broader crackdown on online spaces, including the blocking of major social media platforms and potential future restrictions on messaging apps and VPN traffic.