2025 internet restrictions in Russia

Internet restrictions in Russia began in May 2025 and have become a regular occurrence. As of June 20, 2025, internet problems were observed in 34 regions of the country. In 17 of them, mobile Internet was completely or partially shut down. In 15 regions, restrictions on access to foreign websites were recorded. Users reported only being able to access Russian resources, while any foreign platforms using CDN services such as Cloudflare and Amazon stopped loading.

As justification for the restrictions, Russian authorities cited the need to protect against drone control, and ensuring the safety of citizens.

Background

Massive internet restrictions are imposed under various pretexts and for various purposes. By 2024, Access Now had recorded more than 296 controlled shutdowns worldwide. India and Myanmar lead the way in terms of the number of shutdowns.

In Russia, the first regional Internet restrictions took place in 2018 against the backdrop of mass protests in Ingushetia. In 2019, in Moscow, in connection with the exclusion of opposition candidates from the Moscow City Duma elections, protesters encountered disruptions in mobile Internet service. Human rights activists described this event as the “first state shutdown.”

With the start of the conflict in Ukraine, some of these restrictions took place in Russian-controlled territories in Ukraine due to the actions of Russian troops on telecommunications infrastructure.

Since 2022, Russian authorities have been tightening their control over the internet. By 2025, this policy had only become more stringent. According to Roskomsvoboda, by the end of 2024, Russian authorities had restricted access to more than 417,000 internet resources, including news sites, human rights platforms, and Telegram channels.

The first outages began in May ahead of Victory Day, with mobile communications unavailable in more than 40 regions. After Russia Day, the problem became more widespread and commonplace.

In June 2025, Russian lawmakers proposed launching an SMS alert system to notify the public about mobile internet outages. The request was made by lawmakers to the head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media, Maksut Shadayev.

On June 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree establishing a digital service in Russia that includes national messenger functions. On June 30, the service's press office announced that the platform had registered its first million users.

State Duma deputy Sergei Boyarsky stated that after the creation of a national messenger service in Russia, the authorities may tighten penalties for foreign platforms for non-compliance with legislation.

Course of events

Starting on the evening of June 27 and continuing until the present time on June 30, 2025, massive mobile internet outages have been observed in the Nizhny Novgorod region for all operators. In Nizhny Novgorod itself, due to the mass outage, it is impossible to track transport on Yandex Maps and other services, and ATMs and payment terminals in shops and transport are partially out of order. Wired internet and Wi-Fi are working with rare minor interruptions.

Blocking Telegram and WhatsApp

On the night of June 30, Russian users of Telegram and WhatsApp complained about a massive failure in the messengers' operation. Problems in both messengers began to be reported simultaneously at around 11 p.m. The largest number of complaints came from the Nizhny Novgorod region and the Republic of Tatarstan.

Experts who analyzed the failures concluded that the Russian authorities had begun testing the blocking of messengers. Noting that «competing services cannot experience simultaneous failures» and that both messengers stopped working at the same time, but began working again when using a VPN.

Opinions

The director of the Internet Protection Society notes that «the main navigation system for drones is based on GPS. However, in large areas, it is impossible to completely ensure stable internet access or reliably jam GPS signals, so modern drones use a combination of various inertial guidance systems that are corrected by other means. Drones can continue to fly along a given trajectory even without the internet».

Technology experts note that Russian authorities have switched to the widespread use of Deep Packet Inspection technology.

By the end of 2024, the system had already been tested several times in “exercises” involving disconnection from the global internet. — This information was confirmed in reports by NetBlocks and Access Now.

Consequences

The Internet shutdown across Russia led to thousands of complaints from residents of various regions and caused a public outcry. During the restrictions, there were problems with the operation of messengers, lack of access to banking applications, food ordering applications and services, taxis, and marketplaces. Users reported interruptions in voice communication, failures in sending SMS messages, and problems with navigation.

The restrictions affected taxi services: drivers encountered difficulties completing orders and were forced to call customer support, which increased the cost of the trip. According to passengers, there were difficulties paying for tickets via mobile apps on electric trains, and ticket inspectors reported that they were temporarily only accepting cash payments.

Cloudflare traffic in Russia fell by 30%.