Moscow businesses struggle as Russia restricts cellphone internet
services
[March 14, 2026] MOSCOW
(AP) — Many foreign websites were blocked Friday on mobile phones in
central Moscow under restrictions that have gripped the Russian capital
for more than a week, derailing the routine of millions of residents and
slamming businesses that rely on cellphone internet.
Russian authorities have said the restrictions are part of security
measures to fend off Ukrainian drone attacks, but many industry experts
suspect they are part of preparations by the authorities to block
Russians' access to the global web if the Kremlin decides to do so.
The intermittent shutdowns, which had previously been recorded in dozens
of Russia’s regions for months, have prompted some Moscow residents to
turn to long-forgotten gadgets like walkie talkies, pagers and media
players.
The shutdowns are part of multipronged efforts by the authorities to
rein in the internet. They have adopted restrictive laws and banned
websites and platforms that don’t comply. Technology also has been
perfected to monitor and manipulate online traffic.
After President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February
2022, the government has blocked major social media sites like Twitter,
Facebook and Instagram. Last year, Russia’s communications watchdog
announced it was restricting popular messaging apps WhatsApp and
Telegram.
At the same time, authorities have actively promoted a “national”
messenger app called MAX, which critics see as a surveillance tool.
The mobile internet shutdowns in Moscow, which were first reported on
March 5 on some of the capital's outskirts, swept through the downtown
area earlier this week. Many other regions have been hit with
connectivity blackouts since May.
During the outages, a number of government-approved Russian websites and
online services have been designated as being on “white lists” and have
been available. But during this week's cellphone internet disruptions in
Moscow, even white-listed government services, top banks and taxi apps
stopped functioning.
Businesses with broadband access, and residents with broadband at home,
have not been affected.
However, owners of Moscow cafes, restaurants and shops that rely on
mobile internet have suffered massive losses as customers have been
unable to pay for the services. The ATMs and parking meters that rely on
cellphone internet stopped working.
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The sun is seen behind a Red Star atop of a Kremlin Tower during
sunset in Moscow, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alexander
Zemlianichenko)
 Taxi apps have offered clients the
option of calling a taxi by phone and paying cash.
During some moments, not only cellphone internet but cellphone
coverage for making calls was halted completely.
Earlier this week, members of the Kremlin-controlled parliament
reported that mobile internet was almost entirely missing in the
lower house building located just a few hundred meters (yards) from
Red Square.
On Friday, Russian websites and some mobile apps were available in
central Moscow, but foreign websites were blocked in what some
observers saw as part of dress rehearsals for cutting off access to
the Web.
The business daily Kommersant published an estimate earlier in the
week that Moscow businesses lost between 3 and 5 billion of rubles
(about $38 million to $63 million) in five days of shutdowns. Other
estimates ran significantly higher.
Media reports said that as shutdowns gripped Moscow, retailers
recorded a quick surge in demands for pagers, portable radios,
stationary phones and media players.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that latest
cellphone internet shutdown in Moscow was in “strict conformity with
the law” and would last “as long as additional measures to ensure
security of our citizens are necessary.”
Recently approved legislation has obliged Russian internet providers
to shut down mobile internet when the authorities declare it
necessary for security reasons.
Asked why the shutdowns in Moscow were taking place now, Peskov
responded that as Ukraine launches “increasingly sophisticated
methods of attack, the more technologically advanced measures are
needed to ensure public security.”
He said that the government will look at ways to compensate
businesses for the losses resulting from the shutdowns, but offered
no specifics.
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