Russia prepares ‘white list’ of essential services to keep online during mobile Internet blackouts

Russia’s Digital Development Ministry and telecom operators have agreed on a system that would keep essential services accessible during mobile Internet shutdowns, ministry head Maksut Shadaev told the news agency Interfax.

The system would create a “white list” of crucial services — marketplaces, delivery services, taxi apps, and others — that users could access “at the same speed” even during restrictions. The ministry also ensured that machine-to-machine networks (automated systems that communicate without human intervention) would remain operational, allowing ATMs and similar self-service devices to continue functioning.

Mobile Internet shutdowns have surged across Russia in recent months in response to Ukrainian drone attacks. According to the monitoring project Na Svyazi, Russians experienced at least 2,099 shutdowns in July 2025 alone — a record high that represents a dramatic increase from 69 outages in May 2025. The July disruptions have affected 77 regions, including areas far from the front lines.