In brief: Russian mobile users entering the country from abroad are now facing up to 24 hours without mobile internet access. The government says the measure is designed to keep Ukrainian drones from exploiting Russian SIM cards for navigation.
According to the Ministry of Digital Development, SIM cards that appear to re-enter Russia's domestic networks after being connected to foreign systems are automatically disabled until the subscriber confirms they belong to a human user rather than an unmanned aircraft. Access can be restored early through verification measures such as solving a captcha or contacting the mobile operator's call center.
The system uses automatic network-level detection of roaming activity. When a subscriber device reauthenticates on a Russian operator's network after a foreign connection, traffic is temporarily quarantined.
A backend confirmation process – similar to those used in anti-fraud systems – resets the connection only after user verification is complete. Officials described it as a "security buffer" aimed at preventing SIM cards from being integrated into what they called "hostile remote-controlled devices."
The blanket rule has created unintended disruptions, especially in border regions where mobile devices routinely switch to foreign carriers due to signal overlap. Users in these areas have reported losing service even without crossing national borders. Authorities have advised residents to turn off automatic roaming and manually lock phones to domestic carriers to avoid being mistaken for returning travelers.
Connectivity issues have become particularly problematic in the Ulyanovsk region, roughly halfway between Moscow and Kazakhstan. The area has experienced repeated mobile data restrictions since mid-autumn after several drone strikes targeted electrical substations and fuel depots.
Local officials have told residents that Moscow ordered the measures and that only federal authorities can lift them. In public statements, regional leaders described the restrictions as a wartime necessity, saying they will remain until "the physical elimination of the threat."
The blackout policy aligns with broader efforts to centralize telecommunications control under the Federal Security Service (FSB). Proposed legislative amendments would give the agency authority to order service suspensions in response to loosely defined "emerging threats." If enacted, the change would effectively allow the FSB to bypass civilian regulators in directing mobile and internet outages.
While many commercial services remain available during restricted periods – such as Yandex, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Gosuslugi portals, and large marketplaces like Ozon and Wildberries – independent services and encrypted messaging apps have faced throttling or temporary blocks.
Earlier this year, the government said it would restrict voice calls on platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp to fight digital fraud. However, the move coincided with other wartime security measures.
Telecom analysts and digital rights organizations have challenged the policy's technical foundation, noting that the majority of Ukrainian drones observed in the conflict operate using GPS, GLONASS, or internal guidance systems rather than mobile networks.
The group Access Now has argued that repeated shutdowns appear more symbolic than strategic, serving as demonstrations of loyalty among local officials rather than genuine counter-drone defenses.
Since May, Russian regions facing drone strikes have increasingly turned to mobile network shutdowns as a first-line response. The approach has produced a patchwork of partial outages across western and central Russia, with service often cut near energy infrastructure, airports, and industrial complexes labeled as "strategic facilities."
The result is a national network under growing state supervision, where each new measure introduced in the name of security tightens the government's direct oversight of communications. For now, travelers reentering Russia will remain subject to automatic disconnection – and a waiting period that reflects the government's evolving approach to digital control in wartime.