Putin demands the maintenance of essential services despite mobile internet outages in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government and security services to ensure access to essential services during periods of mobile internet restrictions, as network outages have increased in the country in recent months.

In a series of instructions published by the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin asked Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and the head of the Federal Security Service, Alexander Bortnikov, to ensure the continued operation of services deemed essential, particularly in the areas of health, information and payments.

The relevant authorities will have to submit a progress report on these measures before July 1st. The stated objective is to prevent internet access restrictions from disrupting citizens' daily lives and the operation of critical infrastructure.

Since the beginning of the year, Russia has carried out several partial shutdowns of mobile internet services. Authorities have also tightened their control over certain foreign messaging applications and launched a broad campaign against digital tools they deem illegal.

These restrictions have driven millions of users to resort to virtual private networks (VPNs) to circumvent the imposed limitations. Kremlin opponents see this as a further step in strengthening state control over Russia's digital space, in the context of the ongoing war that has lasted for more than four years.

The Kremlin justifies these measures by citing national security imperatives. Vladimir Putin stated that temporary disruptions to communication networks were sometimes necessary to prevent terrorist attacks or counter Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian territory.

The Russian president acknowledged, however, that these restrictions could be burdensome for the population. He therefore emphasized the need to maintain access to essential digital services even when connection limitations are implemented for security reasons.