Unexplained Moscow internet blackouts spark fears of web censorship plan

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Pjotr SauerMarch 12, 2026 at 02:43 PM
Unexplained Moscow internet blackouts spark fears of web censorship plan

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

Unexplained internet disruptions in Moscow and St. Petersburg have sparked concerns about increased web censorship in Russia. Starting about a week ago, users experienced difficulties accessing mobile internet, impacting daily activities and businesses. The Kremlin attributed the outages to security measures, without providing specific reasons. Human rights activists suggest the disruptions may be linked to testing a "whitelist" system, potentially limiting access to government-approved websites. Internet shutdowns have become increasingly common in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, with the country ranking first globally for disruptions in 2023. The current outages are estimated to be costing Moscow businesses millions of roubles daily and have even affected Russia's parliament.

Keywords

internet blackouts 100% web censorship 90% internet shutdowns 80% mobile internet 70% kremlin 60% whitelist system 60% moscow 50% online activity 50% state duma 40% ukraine invasion 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative
Score: -0.60

Source Transparency

Source
The Guardian - World News
Political Lean
Center-Left (-0.40)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%
Geographic Perspective
Moscow

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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