Story perspectives

Russia's Gradual Internet Shutdown Affects Millions, Sparks Outcry

3/31/2026

Summary

Story summary

Russia is implementing a gradual internet shutdown affecting millions and drawing criticism from activists and experts.
Unlike Iran's abrupt outages, Russia's piecemeal approach is less visible due to decentralized infrastructure.
Since March 20, Telegram has faced increasing blocks and mobile networks are restricted to a whitelist of sites.
Recent Moscow shutdowns disrupted banking and communication services.
Analysts now predict routine outages may extend to home networks.

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Story summary

Russia is implementing a gradual internet shutdown affecting millions and drawing criticism from activists and experts.
Unlike Iran's abrupt outages, Russia's piecemeal approach is less visible due to decentralized infrastructure.
Since March 20, Telegram has faced increasing blocks and mobile networks are restricted to a whitelist of sites.
Recent Moscow shutdowns disrupted banking and communication services.
Analysts now predict routine outages may extend to home networks.