Ministry of Digital Affairs in Primorye discusses mobile network issues
In recent times, mobile internet connectivity in the Russian regions, including Primorye, has been subject to restrictions due to heightened national security concerns. These measures, primarily aimed at countering repeated Ukrainian drone attacks that have breached deep into Russian territory, are designed to safeguard critical infrastructure and ensure the safety of citizens by disrupting hostile drone operations.
The affected infrastructure includes cellular base stations and related equipment. These restrictions are enforced either through regional emergency authorities declaring a "drone threat" and instructing mobile operators to suspend mobile internet in specific areas, or through technical filtering devices known as "TSPU" (Technical Means to Counter Threats), which block IP addresses of cellular base stations to jam mobile internet traffic. In some cases, data speed throttling may also be implemented by mobile operators under the direction of local authorities.
Primorye, in particular, has experienced multiple periods of mobile internet blackouts, lasting for hours at a time, affecting key mobile operators such as T2. These restrictions can also impact wired internet connections in certain cases, and this phenomenon has been observed across numerous regions in Russia.
The restrictions predominantly focus on mobile internet infrastructure—cellular base stations and mobile data networks—with procedures coordinated by regional emergency headquarters and executed by mobile carriers, often as a direct response to drone security threats.
Notably, the Primorsky District of Vladivostok has been the most affected by these restrictions. Residents in Primorye have faced mobile internet restrictions for a week, and all mobile operators in the region are imposing these restrictions. However, voice services and SMS, as well as emergency service calls (112), remain accessible.
The regional government cannot give instructions to mobile operators to impose or lift mobile internet restrictions. The Primorye authorities have announced the causes of the mobile internet disruptions, and the preventive maintenance is being conducted as part of ensuring security in the context of the SVO (Special Military Operation).
To help users stay online despite mobile connectivity disruptions, a new digital service has been launched, offering an interactive map of public Wi-Fi zones in Primorye. Despite the ongoing mobile internet restrictions, this map provides a valuable resource for maintaining connectivity in the region.
Restrictions are imposed only in areas where strategic military or critically important civilian infrastructure objects are located. The imposition and lifting of restrictions are due to an agreement between special services and the military, and there is no involvement from the regional Ministry of Digital Development in this process. The Ministry of Digital Development does not have information about the locations, dates, or lifting of mobile internet restrictions.
- The restrictions on mobile internet, primarily focusing on cellular base stations and mobile data networks, are part of the wider realm of policy-and-legislation in Russia that aim to ensure safety under heightened national security concerns, particularly in the context of repeated drone attacks and the SVO (Special Military Operation).
- Despite the ongoing mobile internet restrictions due to the imposed TSPU (Technical Means to Counter Threats) and local authorities' instructions, residents in Primorye can access emergency services (112) and theoretically, the general-news, as they can utilize the new digital service offering an interactive map of public Wi-Fi zones in the region as an alternative to maintain their connectivity.
