The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs threatens to detain anyone who protests against internet shutdowns 0 6

The Russian capital officially lifted restrictions on mobile internet access in Moscow on Wednesday, which had been in place for three weeks. The Kremlin claims that such measures are necessary for security reasons. However, in many areas of the city, the connection remains weak.

In regions of Russia, the internet has been shut down for several months — authorities state that this is necessary to prevent Ukrainian counterattacks using drones that can connect to local data transmission networks.

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs warned citizens not to participate in "unauthorized public events."

"All attempts to hold such events will be immediately suppressed, and their organizers and participants will be detained," the agency's statement said.

In fact, Russian authorities have long banned street protests.

Organizers of any public gatherings are required to obtain permission from local authorities in advance, and such requests are almost always denied.

Since the start of Russia's renewed invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, authorities have intensified pressure on any criticism of the regime and official policies, effectively banning criticism of the war, which carries severe penalties.

Initially, the authorities in Krasnodar allowed a protest against the internet shutdown to take place this weekend, but then the permission was revoked.

Similarly, in other cities across Russia, attempts to organize public actions have also been denied.

Internet shutdowns coincide with restrictions on popular messaging apps "WhatsApp" and "Telegram," which have become nearly impossible to use in Russia in recent months without virtual private networks (VPNs).

Moscow is urging citizens to switch to the state-supported messaging platform "Max."

Critics believe that these measures are aimed at increasing control and surveillance on the internet.

The mass internet shutdown in the capital has caused discontent among Muscovites: taxi services and delivery services were disrupted, and payment terminals in stores ceased to function.

Due to internet outages, sales of paper maps, pagers, and portable transceivers have sharply increased.