March 10, 2026

Mobile network outage in at least 23 Moscow districts, some residents only have access to 'whitelist' services, reports 'Novaya-Europe'

Residents of at least 23 districts in Moscow reported a complete or partial shutdown of mobile communication from March 6 to 10, as discovered by 'Novaya Gazeta Europe'. The calculation included user complaints on monitoring websites Downdetector and Sboy.rf, messages from district chats, and publications in city media. Most often, Muscovites complained about mobile communication issues in the center and adjacent areas, especially near the metro stations Kurskaya, Taganskaya, Baumanskaya, and Kitay-gorod. In several cases, complaints came from the northern districts of the capital (Ostankinsky, Golovinsky, Koptevo). It is unknown whether the network problems there are related to intentional restrictions. According to users, their devices show an LTE network presence, but in reality, the internet does not work. There are also difficulties with calls and SMS messages. "In the Paveletskaya metro area, it shows all 5 signal bars and LTE, but in reality, there is no connection or mobile internet on the phone," said one internet user. "There is no signal at all on the mobile, let alone the internet. Moscow, center, Polyanka metro, Udarnik Embankment," reads another message. Photo: Yuri Kochetkov / EPA. Some users note that websites from the Ministry of Digital Development's 'whitelist,' such as Mail.ru, VKontakte, and Odnoklassniki, are accessible to them. "Tele2, Moscow. The internet has not been working properly since 8 am. Most likely whitelist. VK, Yandex, Mail, and some other sites open. But the same Gismeteo doesn't work, although it's also in the RU zone. Nothing foreign works at all," said a Muscovite named Sergey today. Others claim that even 'allowed' sites do not open for them. "Moscow, CAO, Basmanny district, the network seems to be there, but there has been no internet for over seven hours. Even the whitelist is not working," reads one comment. Problems with mobile communication in Moscow began on Thursday, March 5. 'Kommersant' wrote that mobile operators received instructions to restrict internet operation in certain areas of Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claims that everything is happening "in strict accordance with current legislation," and information about blocking was provided "in advance." According to the publication 'Kod Durova,' Moscow authorities have begun large-scale testing of the list of permitted sites. Sources of the portal claim that the internet via 'whitelists' has been enabled on some metro lines, among other places.