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Moscow's Internet Outages Hit 13 Million Amid Safety Tests

3/12/2026

Summary

Story summary

Moscow is experiencing widespread mobile internet outages as authorities test controls over the web infrastructure.
Disruptions began last week and have affected more than 13 million residents.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said restrictions will remain for citizens' safety amid ongoing Ukrainian attacks.
Businesses in Moscow have lost up to 5 billion rubles ($55 million) in five days, with courier services and ride-hailing apps hardest hit.
Access to government-approved platforms remained available, suggesting a trial of a whitelist system similar to those used in Iran during unrest.

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Story summary

Moscow is experiencing widespread mobile internet outages as authorities test controls over the web infrastructure.
Disruptions began last week and have affected more than 13 million residents.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said restrictions will remain for citizens' safety amid ongoing Ukrainian attacks.
Businesses in Moscow have lost up to 5 billion rubles ($55 million) in five days, with courier services and ride-hailing apps hardest hit.
Access to government-approved platforms remained available, suggesting a trial of a whitelist system similar to those used in Iran during unrest.