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Russia is now imposing a 24-hour internet blackout on SIM cards entering the country, claiming the move is to help stop raids by Ukrainian drones—though some commentators think there might be ulterior motives.
According to the country’s Ministry for Digital Development, if a user’s SIM card enters the country from abroad, they’ll now need to wait a full day to access the internet, unless they solve a CAPTCHA or call their telecom operator to verify their identity. SIM card ‘cooling’ will also impact SIM cards that have been inactive for more than 72 hours.
The announcement, first spotted by The Record, says that the move will “ensure the safety of Russian citizens,” as SIM cards with mobile internet can be located inside enemy drones and used for their navigation, and temporary blocking will improve protection.
Some sources have called into question whether or not Ukrainian drones actually need mobile internet to function. Meduza, an independent Russian publication, highlights that modern drones aren’t controlled directly via mobile internet, and don’t need an active SIM card to fly. But they may use SIM card-based transmissions for tasks like data collection and recording routes, to refine future strikes.
Russia’s authoritarian approach to the internet has been ramping up since the war started in 2022, with the government trying to shepherd people away from encrypted foreign-owned messaging services like WhatsApp toward approved domestic tools like messaging app Max. Popular Western services like Instagram and Facebook have reportedly seen a pronounced dip in Russian users since the start of the war, after they were banned in 2022.
New mobile internet shutdowns are continuing to appear, and the residents of the Russian city of Ulyanovsk were recently told mobile internet would be shut down until the end of the war, though some government-approved websites would still be accessible.
Some commentators, such as digital rights group Access Now, have said that many of Russia’s internet shutdowns are in fact politically motivated, rather than wartime necessity, for example, shutting down the internet during national holidays such as Victory Day to suppress unwanted political speech on social media. An infographic put together by Meduza found that many places most hit by internet blackouts were in some cases hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the country’s borders with Ukraine.
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I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.
I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.