Nizhny Novgorod Villagers Decry Internet Blackouts Amid Government Mobile Network Shutdowns

Villagers in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region are decrying a total loss of mobile internet access that have left over 1,500 people without connectivity, local media outlet NN.ru reported Thursday.

Recurring cellular internet shutdowns have been a part of daily life in dozens of Russia’s regions for months as the government has cut mobile internet service for security reasons linked to the war in Ukraine.

The seven affected villages in the Volodarsky district do not yet have fixed-line internet, meaning residents rely on mobile networks and signal-boosting equipment. But government-imposed mobile internet shutdowns this year have rendered these workarounds ineffective.

“Our eldest child is studying programming and it’s very hard [without internet],” resident Maria Gayevskaya told NN.ru.

“My husband and I are doing a master’s program,” she continued. “I would like to work online, but I can’t. My husband is the only one working right now. Our house is always under construction and we constantly need money. Right now, we are basically just surviving.”

Villagers staged a public gathering in the village of Krasnaya Gorka on Thursday to voice their concerns.

“We’ve been waiting for gas for 30 years. The signs on the utility poles say there’s fiber optic cable, but we are not connected to it. We don’t have any internet, so we’ve all gathered here,” resident Nadezhda Shkenina told NN.ru.

They had recorded a video appeal to Nizhny Novgorod Governor Gleb Nikitin in November but were unable to send it due to lack of connectivity, prompting some to travel to the nearby city of Dzerzhinsk to relay their complaints.

“While mobile internet was still working, we could manage somehow. Now, with no connection at all, we are completely cut off. We don’t even have basic communication at home in some areas,” residents said.

Only a few applications from the government-approved “white list” of services remain functional.

The villagers have collected 570 signatures and plan to submit letters to the federal government, the prosecutor’s office and telecom operators, NN.ru reported.

President Vladimir Putin was asked about widespread mobile internet shutdowns across Russia during his televised marathon call-in last week.

He said the measures were necessary for security amid the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes and claimed that foreign-based internet services help adversaries choose targets for strikes. Putin did not offer a solution to the shutdowns.

Despite the recurring blackouts, Russian telecom operators have warned that prices for internet and mobile services are set to rise significantly in 2026.