Moscow’s nightmare: Internet blackout

Since 8 March, the Russian capital has also been hit by mobile network blocks “for security reasons”, causing serious disruption in a metropolis that, until recently, presented itself as a digital capital. There are also glitches in the “whitelists” of apps promoted by the regulatory bodies. And there are neighbourhoods where even home Wi-Fi is not working.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - For over two weeks now, Moscow, like the rest of Russia, has been caught up in the drama of the “digital camp” caused by restrictions and blocks on mobile internet connections, which the authorities are imposing “for security reasons”.

The problem for the Russian capital is that the very concept of city life and business depends, more than anywhere else, on constant access to all kinds of apps, forming a system of well-being as the “digital capital” of the entire Russian world.

Sustainable car sharing is the primary means of getting around the city; all municipal services are paid for online, as are almost all other forms of payment; car parks, taxis and all the usual digital services have become unavailable, and will not return to normal operations any time soon.

It is estimated that in the first five days of the lockdown alone, businesses in the capital lost at least 3 billion roubles (30 million euros), and this has a knock-on effect on the rest of the country; much depends on the historical centralisation in the capital of all commercial activities and services of every kind.

The large shopping centre beneath the Okhotnyj Rjad metro station is one of Moscow’s most popular, a stone’s throw from the Kremlin and the State Duma, and the luxury clothing shops now only accept cash, as credit cards do not work, as cashiers tell Meduza: “We’re getting lots of complaints, but there’s nothing we can do. The tills are working, but all the promotional systems and customer loyalty programmes are blocked, because they involve external data that the till can’t currently process.”

The internet connection went down before 8 March, when all Muscovites flock to the city’s various centres.

From 13 March, the restoration of connections had been announced, but only to access the ‘whitelists’ of applications permitted by the regulatory authorities.

These are supposed to include “everything necessary” for ordinary people, from Yandex for taxis to the social network VKontakte and the fast-food chain Vkusno i Točka, the “Good and That’s It” that has replaced McDonald’s, but in reality many brands and services sought after by people are missing, and even the “whitelisted sites” often crash without warning.

According to various reports, the censorship agency Roskomnadzor is conducting tests ahead of the summer season to gauge the impact of these blocks on the Russian economy, and in particular on that of Moscow and St Petersburg.

Many Muscovites are telling the media about the difficulties they face, such as those at airports, where queues form for check-in at the self-service machines, yet no one can board, creating utter chaos. It is impossible to book renewals for documents, from driving licences to passports, leaving plans for the coming months in limbo; theatres are warning that e-tickets must be printed in good time to gain entry, and even if one manages to book a taxi, it becomes impossible to know where it is stopping, as it drives round in circles through the streets.

The director of the taxi company Maksim, Maksim Šušarin, explains that on days of total shutdown, they lose at least 30% of bookings, and ‘under-the-counter’ taxi drivers have returned to business, offering rides in private cars, just as in Soviet times, when all it took was waving a packet of Marlboro cigarettes to flag down any driver.

The problems are particularly acute in central Moscow, within the Sadovoe Koltso ring road, where the bustling concentration of residents, workers and visitors is accustomed to a rhythm dictated by the pings of their smartphones.

In the suburbs, things are generally a little better, but there are entire neighbourhoods where even home Wi-Fi doesn’t work. Moscow ‘is no longer a smart city’, comment the residents of this vast new camp with resignation, where all forms of human and technological communication have broken down.