Mobile internet outages across Russia are leading to needless deaths from Ukrainian attacks since Russians are sometimes unable to receive air raid alerts on their phones, the governor of the southwestern Belgorod region said Thursday.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said he was in “absolute agreement” after a Belgorod resident sent him a message complaining about the regular internet disruptions.
“It’s an even greater threat for residents of border areas. The lack of information, unfortunately, quite often leads to death, injuries and destruction,” Gladkov said during a livestream where he read messages sent to him by constituents.
Nearly 150 people in the Belgorod region were killed in cross-border attacks last year. Deaths and injuries so far in 2026 have almost tripled over the same period in 2025, according to one of Gladkov’s deputies.
Internet disruptions have become common in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as air defense systems jam signals used by Ukrainian drones. Monitoring groups say most regions throughout the country now face daily restrictions.
The Kremlin last week defended the disruptions as legal and necessary for ensuring security.
Gladkov said he had raised the issue of regular mobile internet outages in recent meetings with federal authorities in Moscow, who he said are trying to reach a “difficult compromise.”
“We’re being heard, listened to, and they’re trying to help,” the governor said without going into detail.
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