Russia cut mobile internet in Moscow ahead of a scaled-back May 9 Victory Day parade, citing heightened risk of Ukrainian drone attacks. The restrictions disrupted payments, navigation and online services and prompted warnings from Sberbank and Yandex.Taxi. Monitoring sites reported outages across European Russia, and officials said Kyiv struck a major refinery while Moscow reported shooting down hundreds of drones.
Moscow Cuts Mobile Internet Ahead Of Scaled-Back May 9 Victory Parade Amid Drone Threat
A woman talks on the phone in front of a banner for the Victory Day military parade, marking the anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in central Moscow, Russia, May 4, 2026. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov
Russian authorities cut mobile internet for many users in Moscow on Tuesday as the capital prepared for a scaled-back May 9 Victory Day parade, saying the move was intended to reduce the risk of Ukrainian drone attacks. Officials described the restrictions as temporary security measures, but residents reported widespread disruption to payments, navigation and everyday communications.
Six Reuters reporters across Moscow found their mobile phones without internet access, although voice calls remained possible in many areas. Russia’s mobile operators acknowledged possible disruptions and said measures would continue over the coming days. Sberbank warned customers of potential issues with mobile banking and messaging, and Yandex.Taxi said users might experience problems ordering rides online.
A third-party monitoring site that logs connectivity complaints reported mobile internet outages across several regions of European Russia, including Moscow and St Petersburg. Critics say the state’s growing restrictions on internet access this year — which have driven millions of users to rely on VPNs — reflect broader efforts to strengthen domestic information control amid four years of war.
Analysts note the conflict has evolved into the largest drone war to date, with long-range drones striking targets far behind front-line zones, including command points and energy infrastructure. On Tuesday, Ukrainian forces struck one of Russia’s largest oil refineries in Kirishi, Leningrad region, causing a fire, Governor Alexander Drozdenko said. Russia’s Defence Ministry reported that its forces destroyed 289 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight.
Context: The Kremlin said the measures were needed for security during the Victory Day events. Opponents and some observers argue the restrictions also deepen everyday disruptions for civilians and tighten state control of information.
Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Kevin Liffey
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