Russia is preparing a new wave of mobile internet blackouts that could leave WhatsApp, Telegram, Google services, and YouTube unreachable across multiple regions. Regional authorities describe the measures as security-driven, while digital rights advocates warn the outages mark a decisive escalation in the country’s control over online information flows.
Reporting from Reuters indicates the shutdowns will be framed as temporary, targeted blockades aimed at disrupting Ukrainian drone operations. Yet the scope—focusing on the most widely used foreign apps—signals an effort to tighten control over cross-border communications, where encrypted messaging and video platforms play an outsized role.
The Official Justification
Russian officials say the blackouts are designed to interfere with the guidance and coordination of drones. The Digital Development Ministry has also hinted at a “special technical solution” to keep select domestic services online, even when mobile data is cut. That list reportedly includes the Mir electronic payment system and MAX, a new state-backed messenger slated to be preinstalled on smartphones sold in the country.
Security officials have long argued that foreign-owned platforms can facilitate hostile activity and disinformation. Critics counter that the sweeping nature of the blocks—hitting everything from everyday messaging to video search—goes far beyond battlefield risks and will inevitably curb lawful speech and routine commerce.
How the Blackouts Could Be Implemented
Russia’s telecom regulator, Roskomnadzor, has spent years installing deep packet inspection equipment on carrier networks to throttle or block apps. Selective app bans are one layer; broader mobile data shutdowns are another. When entire mobile networks go dark, common workarounds such as VPNs won’t help—there’s simply no connectivity to tunnel through.
Independent observatories like NetBlocks and OONI have previously verified region-wide outages in places such as Dagestan, Chechnya, and Ingushetia. Those test runs showed authorities can isolate large areas quickly, often with little warning. Access Now has documented the global rise of “security” blackouts, noting their tendency to spill over into political censorship.
Who Gets Whitelisted—and Why It Matters
Authorities indicate certain domestic tools will remain available. A whitelist that keeps Mir payments and MAX messaging operational would preserve core state-favored functions while sidelining foreign apps with strong end-to-end encryption. Companies like Meta have warned that such policies are designed to divert users toward platforms where authorities have greater visibility.
The strategy fits within Russia’s “sovereign internet” framework, which centralizes control of traffic and infrastructure. The more users migrate to protected services, the easier it becomes to sustain blackouts without halting government, banking, and emergency communications.
Impact on Users, Businesses, and Media
Even short blackouts can be costly. NetBlocks’ Cost of Shutdown Tool routinely estimates daily losses in the millions for national-scale disruptions, driven by halted advertising, e-commerce, logistics, and media operations. For small businesses that rely on WhatsApp for customer service or YouTube for marketing, the hit is immediate.
Domestic sentiment is not uniform. The Moscow Times has reported protests in multiple cities, including from members of the local Communist Party, who argue that restrictions on voice and video calls violate constitutional rights to free communication. VPN usage has surged whenever new blocks appear—Top10VPN recorded massive spikes after earlier platform bans—but full mobile outages blunt those tools.
A Pattern of Platform Controls
Russia’s approach to foreign platforms has hardened over time. Facebook and Instagram remain officially banned under extremism laws, while X/Twitter and Google services have faced periodic throttling, fines, and takedown orders. Despite the restrictions, usage persists: Bloomberg, citing Sensor Tower, reported that Instagram still counted about 33 million active users in Russia, down by more than 20 million from pre-ban levels but still among the world’s largest audiences.
Telegram has been a special case. After an earlier, unsuccessful attempt to block it, the app rebounded and is now deeply embedded in political discourse and local news. That ubiquity makes any new disruption—especially one tied to mobile network blackouts—far more consequential than a standard platform ban.
What to Watch Next
Key variables include how broadly the blackouts are applied, how long they last, and whether authorities move from regional measures to national ones. Indicators to monitor: carrier notices about planned maintenance that coincide with outages, NetBlocks and OONI measurement data, and any expansion of app whitelists beyond payments and MAX.
For now, the message is clear: Russia is prepared to move from platform-by-platform enforcement to network-level controls. If deployed at scale, the blackout model could redraw the country’s digital map—privileging state-approved services while pushing global platforms, and their audiences, to the margins.