NextFin news, On Friday, September 5, 2025, Russian authorities implemented mobile internet restrictions and blocked access to popular foreign applications such as WhatsApp and YouTube in border regions of Russia. This measure was taken to enhance security amid ongoing Ukrainian drone attacks targeting these areas.
The Russian Ministry of Digital Development published a list of locally developed applications that will remain operational during the mobile internet shutdowns. These include government online services, local marketplaces, the Mir electronic payment system, and the state-supported messaging app MAX. The ministry stated it has a "special technical solution" to ensure these local apps continue functioning despite the internet restrictions.
The shutdowns and app restrictions aim to disrupt the use of foreign internet services that could facilitate drone navigation and attacks. Russian regional governors in border areas have regularly justified these internet interruptions as necessary to prevent attacks that use internet connectivity for targeting.
The restrictions affect foreign competitors including WhatsApp, owned by Meta, which has approximately 97.8 million users in Russia, Telegram, headquartered in Dubai with 90.9 million Russian users, and YouTube, operated by Alphabet. The Russian government has increasingly promoted domestic internet services and tightened control over the local online space, intensifying conflicts with foreign technology platforms since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022.
Russian officials did not explicitly mention Ukraine or drones in their public statements but emphasized that the measures are to "reduce inconveniences caused to citizens by mobile internet interruptions necessary to ensure security."
These developments occurred in Moscow and affected the border regions of Russia, where the government seeks to mitigate security threats through internet control measures.
Sources: HotNews.ro (published September 5, 2025), Adevarul.ro (published September 5, 2025), Reuters (published September 5, 2025).
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