Overview
- Russia’s Interior Ministry warned people not to join unsanctioned rallies against new internet restrictions, citing coded online calls for protests and the risk of legal charges.
- At an industry gathering attended by Vladimir Putin, business leader Alexander Schochin said mobile data throttling is hurting companies and citizens and urged a balanced fix.
- Regional authorities blocked planned demonstrations across multiple cities using pretexts such as tree inspections, snow clearing and lingering COVID rules, discouraging organizers from proceeding.
- A prominent military blogger known as Kotenok used Telegram to fault Russia’s tactics and training, with analysts noting this could be a last broadside as unconfirmed reports suggest a full ban on the app may be imminent.
- Service disruptions now touch daily life, with mobile data often failing, YouTube largely unreachable and even payment systems stalling, a serious shift in a country where Telegram reached about 93.6 million monthly users in December 2025.