Putin’s Internet Blackout: A Chaotic Drive to Cut Off Russians From the World
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- A recent fire near the Kremlin highlighted severe mobile data outages in central Moscow, severely impacting communication and news reporting.
- Telegram, Russia's most popular app, was being throttled, preventing reporters from sharing real-time updates and multimedia content.
- The outage forced journalists to resort to landline calls to convey information, reminiscent of communication challenges from the late 1990s.
- This incident has intensified concerns that President Vladimir Putin is escalating efforts to control and isolate Russia’s internet from the global network.
- The move signals a broader push by the Kremlin to tighten its grip on information flow and public access to independent news.
