Overview
- Mobile data has been largely unavailable across the capital since March 7, crippling card payments, taxi and courier apps, and navigation tools.
- Even resources on the state “whitelist” have gone down, while activists reported an 80 percent drop in Telegram accessibility on March 16 with WhatsApp also affected.
- A law signed February 20 compels operators to cut service at the FSB’s request and removes their liability for outages caused by compliance.
- Business losses have mounted, with Kommersant estimating 3–5 billion rubles in damage over five days as residents resort to cash, pagers, walkie-talkies, and paper maps.
- The Kremlin frames the restrictions as security measures against Ukrainian attacks, with Moscow’s mayor citing drone intercepts, while reports of ordered signal cuts and coup-related claims remain unverified.