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As Russia Expands Internet Blackouts, Kremlin Tells Citizens to Use the Radio
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Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin promoted radio as the country's "most convenient, reliable, and accessible" form of communication just as authorities rolled out fresh mobile internet shutdowns across Russia, according to The Moscow Times on May 7.
The endorsement appeared in a Radio Day greeting published on the Russian government's website. Mishustin praised radio's reach into the country's most remote regions and framed broadcasters as carriers of national culture and language.
The statement landed during a period of widening mobile internet and SMS outages tied to Victory Day security measures.
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Mobile operators in Moscow, the Moscow region, St Petersburg, and more than 20 other regions had warned subscribers of restrictions on mobile data and text messaging between May 5 and May 9.
Russian Ministry of Digital Development confirmed that operators would alert users to any further curbs and flagged a partial restriction of mobile internet, "white-list" services, and SMS in Moscow on May 9.
"Radio has been and remains an important source of communication, the most convenient, reliable, and accessible for millions of people," Mishustin wrote in the address. He praised station staff, engineers, and signalmen for sustaining round-the-clock broadcasting in remote areas and for keeping the country's status as "a high-technology power."
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The push aligns with a broader Kremlin effort to position legacy broadcast tools as fallback infrastructure during connectivity disruptions.
State conglomerate Rostec recently advertised a portable radio receiver called "Sever," highlighting its FM and VHF reception, GPS and GLONASS time synchronization, battery power, and built-in flashlight.
The campaign drew on wartime imagery, comparing the device to Soviet field radios used during World War II.
The shutdowns coincide with sweeping new powers granted to Russia's Federal Security Service. Legislation passed by the State Duma on January 27 enables the FSB to order full communication blackouts in response to undefined "security threats."
The UK Ministry of Defense described the law as introducing "an unprecedented degree of state control" over digital infrastructure, covering broadband, mobile and landline phones, and messaging platforms.
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Russia's main state radio network is operated by VGTRK, the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, a federal state media holding rather than an independent public broadcaster.
Its key national services include Radio Rossii, which VGTRK describes as Russia's main state radio station, alongside Mayak and Vesti FM.
Radio Rossii serves as the flagship domestic radio service, with distribution via roughly 1,100 transmitters, online platforms, wired radio, and the long, medium, VHF, and FM bands. Mayak, founded in 1964, carries a mix of information, talk, education, entertainment, and music programming. Vesti FM focuses on news, politics, world affairs, economics, interviews, and live reporting.
The system's transmission infrastructure is closely tied to RTRN, the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network, a state unitary enterprise that operates Russia's terrestrial broadcasting network. RTRN carries the federal must-carry television channels and the three radio services included in Russia's first multiplex nationwide.
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Mishustin’s praise for radio also echoed the practical consequences of earlier mobile internet shutdowns in the capital, as Russian authorities previously imposed a shutdown in Moscow in early March, which lasted nearly three weeks.
Officials attributed the restrictions to security concerns and kept them in place while limited services remained available through approved white lists.
The March blackout disrupted daily life across central districts, prompting residents and visitors to turn to paper maps, guidebooks, radios, and pagers. SMS use and voice traffic rose sharply, while an IT market source cited by Kommersant estimated economic damage at roughly 1 billion rubles per day.
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