In Moscow, a system of “white lists” – the only sites available during mobile Internet outages – has been launched, according to Russian publications Forbes and Kommersant, citing sources among telecom operators and in the telecommunications market.
Media interlocutors note that the “white lists” work partially in the capital, as base stations are still switched off in some districts.
The Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Roskomnadzor, and operators have not yet commented on the introduction of “white lists”.
The Internet shutdown in Moscow has lasted since 5 March. Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the shutdowns were “necessary to ensure the safety of citizens as Ukraine uses increasingly sophisticated technological methods for attacks.”
He did not specify how long the communications restrictions would last, saying: “as long as necessary.”
The Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology advised Muscovites to orientate themselves by the stars and the sun while there is no internet.
“Orientation by the sun is the easiest and most reliable way to understand where some side of the world is. It rises in the East and sets in the West,” the instructions say.
Locals are starting to buy walkie-talkies and paper atlases, writes Russia’s RBC: local online shop Wildberries has noticed that demand for landline phones has increased. One of the holding company’s presenters went on the air with a pager.
During this time, Russian business could lose up to 5 billion rubles (about $62 million), writes “Kommersant”.
“White lists” of resources available during internet shutdowns began to be tested in Russia from summer 2025. The list of available resources includes sites of mobile operators, pro-Kremlin media, government agencies, marketplaces, as well as Russian social networks “VKontakte”, “Odnoklassniki”, Max.
Several times the Russian Ministry of Digitisation has reported its update – in September 2025, then in November, twice in December, as well as in February 2026.
According to the publication “Durov’s Code”, due to the introduction of “white lists” a number of VPN services have already lost access to servers. Many VPN applications on smartphones, especially when connected via mobile operators’ networks, stopped working or started functioning with serious interruptions.