Russia Imposes Indefinite Mobile Internet Blackout in Ulyanovsk Region “Until End of War”

Residents of Russia’s Ulyanovsk region, south-east of Moscow, will remain without mobile internet access indefinitely—at least “until the end of the war against Ukraine”—regional officials said at a press conference on November 8.

According to Oleg Yagfarov, the region’s minister of digital development, the restrictions were imposed by federal authorities in Moscow “to ensure state security,” and local officials have no power to overturn them.

“The situation can be changed only by a Russian soldier,” officials said, explaining that the restrictions will remain in place “until the physical elimination of the source of the threat.”

Local newspaper Ulyanovskaya Pravda reported that residents have faced connection problems for more than a week. Yagfarov said the blackout covers not just military or industrial zones but also residential neighborhoods, social facilities, and business centers.

The regional government said the move follows a new federal decision “to expand the security zone around strategic facilities.” Officials emphasized that the restrictions are not temporary wartime precautions, but rather permanent security measures mandated by Moscow.

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To offset the impact, authorities reminded citizens about a so-called “white list” of online services that remain accessible during the shutdown. The list includes government portals like Gosuslugi, Yandex services, VKontakte, the Ozon and Wildberries e-commerce platforms, and the Mir payment system.

Residents were also encouraged to use public Wi-Fi hotspots in government service centers and other facilities—about 450 in total across the region, officials said.

“These measures are not the whim of bureaucrats or a mistake by operators who ‘forgot’ to turn the internet back on after an alert,” officials insisted. “They are required by federal security directives in response to enemy attacks.”

The Ulyanovsk region, located about 430 miles east of Moscow, has not been the site of major combat, but like several other Russian territories, it has faced intermittent restrictions and security crackdowns since Ukrainian drone attacks began targeting infrastructure deep inside Russia.

Earlier, reports emerged that under an impending new decree, telecommunications providers operating within Russia and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine will be mandated to terminate user access to communication and internet services upon request from the Federal Security Service (FSB).

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