Russia restricts mobile internet in Moscow before Victory Day

Russian authorities imposed temporary mobile internet outages across Moscow on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, as a security measure ahead of the Victory Day military parade scheduled for May 9 on Red Square, citing the need to counter potential Ukrainian drone attacks.

Network providers, including MTS, notified subscribers in advance that restrictions on mobile internet and text messaging could occur in Moscow and the surrounding region from May 5 through May 9 during preparations and the events. Reporters from multiple outlets confirmed the outages began early Tuesday morning in central and other parts of the capital, with six Reuters journalists reporting no mobile data access on their phones. Telephone calls remained functional in many areas, while Wi-Fi connections operated normally. A few residents in Moscow described limited access even to whitelisted government-approved sites, such as the public services portal Gosuslugi and Yandex services.

By midday, Russia's Digital Ministry announced that initial restrictions in Moscow had ended and operators were restoring service. The ministry stated the measures helped reduce the accuracy of drones and facilitate countermeasures, adding...