These “old school” communication and navigation methods are being used as workarounds for widespread, prolonged mobile internet blackouts across the country.
Russian residents in major cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg have been forced to use walkie-talkies, pagers, and paper maps to communicate with each other. These “old school” communication and navigation methods are being used as workarounds for widespread, prolonged mobile internet blackouts across the country. Notably, mobile internet has been disrupted in Moscow and other regions for over a week. Authorities have implemented a “whitelist” system that restricts internet access to only government-approved websites and state-backed apps like “Max.”
Even on whitelisted services, taxi apps, geolocation/mapping services, and mobile payment systems have frequently failed to load or function.The Kremlin has attributed these shutdowns to “security measures” intended to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, which they claim rely on cellular networks for navigation.
Sources in the telecom industry told business daily Kommersant that operators had been instructed by authorities to restrict mobile internet access, according to The Telegraph. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the outage was to ensure “security.”
“All of the disconnections and communications restrictions are taking place in strict accordance with current legislation,” Peskov said onTelegram on Tuesday.
Surge in Demand for Low-Tech Solutions
According to Russia’s biggest retailer, Wildberries, sales of walkie-talkies have risen by about 27 percent, while pager purchases have surged by nearly 73 percent. As GPS services become unreliable, sales of road maps and printed travel guides have reportedly tripled, increasing by as much as 170 percent. Purchases of handheld radio devices have also climbed by around 27 percent, as they allow direct communication without relying on cellular networks.
Sales of traditional wired telephones have also increased by roughly 25 percent.
Whitelist
Meanwhile, residents without internet access have been provided with a “whitelist” of state-approved websites and apps.
The list reportedly includes government platforms, Russian-owned social networks VKontakte and Odnoklassniki, the state-run MAX messenger, and several state media outlets.
One resident, Lina, told Meduza that she lost internet connectivity on Sunday and had difficulty finding a functioning card machine. She also expressed concern that the outage could prevent her from staying in touch with her loved ones.
“At a certain point, I started to panic because I thought that if something happened to me, I wouldn’t be able to tell my loved ones quickly. In an emergency (for example, if you’re arrested), writing a message is faster and more convenient than calling,” she said.
