In June, Russia broke the record for the number of mobile internet shutdowns, reported the Russian internet monitoring project "On the Line," noting that in June, 655 shutdowns were counted in Russian regions. The previous month, in May, there were only 69.
Meanwhile, according to the American project Access Now, which researches internet censorship, throughout last year, there were 296 shutdowns in 54 countries worldwide.
In Russia last year, mobile internet was shut down 13 times. The Russian Federation ranked fourth in the world after Myanmar (85), India (84), and Pakistan (21). Most often, authorities in different countries shut down the internet due to mass protests.
Russian authorities explain mobile internet shutdowns as "ensuring security." Most often, it is about protection from drone raids.
Another reason for mobile internet shutdowns was holidays and mass events. For example, in St. Petersburg, the internet did not work during the SPIEF (June 18–21).
The largest "holiday" shutdown occurred on Victory Day, May 9, when mobile internet, according to "On the Line," was shut down in 30 regions at once.
As the project notes, an internet shutdown not only deprives people of access to entertainment but also impacts all life processes. Cash registers do not work, taxi calls are affected, document flow suffers, logistics come to a halt, sensors on pipes are useless, which affects the economy.