28 |
Eastern Europe
and Central Asia
RISING REPRESSION MEETS GLOBAL RESISTANCE: INTERNET SHUTDOWNS IN 2025
Russia
People in Russia experienced an unprecedented increase in the number of internet
shutdowns in 2025.159 An uncoordinated web of authorities imposed a barrage
of shutdowns broadly justified as countermeasures against drone attacks from
Ukraine,160 despite evidence that mobile internet is not strictly needed to operate
drones161 and the fact that many of these disruptions took place in areas without
drone attacks.162 Emerging information from trusted #KeepItOn partners indicates
that hundreds to thousands of internet disruptions163 have reportedly occurred
across virtually every region of the country since May 2025.164 We are working with
partners to verify and document these events, and we will continue to update the
STOP dataset accordingly.165 Our current data catalogs 20 shutdowns imposed by
Russian authorities in 2025, with 17 imposed domestically and three in Ukraine,
either coinciding with major events like Victory Day celebrations in Moscow,166 visits
by President Putin, or due to an ever-expanding list of ongoing blocks of platforms
like WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, YouTube, Discord, Viber, and the gaming platform
Roblox.167 Internet shutdowns in Russia impacted many areas of daily life in 2025,
causing financial hardship,168 risks for children with diabetes,169 and sometimes
costing people their lives.170
Ongoing platform
blocks in Russia*
*At time of publication.
159
Platform
Status
Discord
Facebook
Facetime
Instagram
Signal
Snapchat
Telegram
Viber
WhatsApp
X
YouTube
Blocked
Blocked
Blocked
Blocked
Blocked
Blocked
Blocked
Blocked
Blocked
Blocked
Blocked
Scope
Nationwide
Nationwide
Nationwide
Nationwide
Nationwide
Nationwide
Nationwide
Nationwide
Nationwide
Nationwide
Nationwide
Access Now (2025). Russia’s record war on connectivity. https://www.accessnow.org/russias-record-war-on-connectivity/
160 The Insider (2025). Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development and telecom operators are discussing “internet shutdown rules,” pro-Kremlin
media report. https://theins.ru/en/news/283119/
161 Visit Ukraine Today (2025). Communications under threat: will Ukraine start jamming mobile internet due to drone attacks?
https://visitukraine.today/blog/6346/communications-under-threat-will-ukraine-start-jamming-mobile-internet-due-to-drone-attacks#arethere-plans-to-shut-down-communications-what-the-government-is-saying/
162 The Insider (2025). Russia shut down mobile internet 200 times in May and June due to “drone attacks,” but none took place in 26 of the
affected regions. https://theins.ru/en/news/282568/
163 United24 Media (2025). Russia Recorded Nearly 12,000 Internet Shutdowns Since May 2025, Report Says. https://theins.ru/en/
news/282568/
164 Meduza (2025). Mapping Russia’s internet blackouts: The Russian authorities keep shutting down mobile Internet. Here’s where it happens
most, and how the outages are spreading. https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/07/07/mapping-russia-s-internet-blackouts/
165
See supra note 9. Access Now (2026).
166 Access Now (2025). #KeepItOn: The Kremlin must refrain from imposing internet shutdowns during key national events.
https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/kremlin-must-end-internet-shutdowns-national-events/
167 The Guardian (2025). Russia blocks Snapchat and restricts Apple’s FaceTime, state officials say.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/04/russia-snapchat-apple/
168
Novaya Gazeta (2025). The country was disconnected. https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2025/06/19/stranu-otkliuchili
169 The Insider (2025). Thousands of children with diabetes have lost parental control over their glucose levels due to internet shutdowns in
Russia. https://theins.ru/news/286784/.
170 Novaya Gazeta (2025). Where and how the internet is being shut down in Russia.
https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2025/07/08/gde-i-kak-v-rossii-otkliuchaiut-internet