))
Ahead of Moscow’s Victory Day parade, Internet is cut, shops close, and services stall as authorities scramble to prevent drone attacks
Manage episode 481618036 series 3381925
Content provided by Meduza.io. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Meduza.io or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.
For several days, Moscow has been experiencing intermittent Internet outages, leading to a cascade of problems across the city:
- Major online retailers have limited deliveries
- Taxi fares have increased
- E-scooter rides have been restricted
- Services like Gosuslugi (Russia’s government services portal), banking apps, and the Central Bank’s Faster Payments System are experiencing outages
On May 7 and 8, the city’s airports descended into chaos
Moscow’s four major airports — Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky — temporarily suspended operations multiple times. Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers.
The cause of the disruption: the threat of drone attacks, directly linked to the upcoming Victory Day parade. Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly suggested that holding the parade may be “unsafe.”
The situation has even affected visiting dignitaries. The plane carrying Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who was flying to Moscow for Victory Day celebrations, was forced to make an emergency landing in Baku, Azerbaijan.
By the evening of May 8, Russia’s Transport Ministry announced that airports had returned to normal operations.
The bitter truth is that events in Russia affect your life, too. Help Meduza continue to bring news from Russia to readers around the world by setting up a monthly donation.
More restrictions are expected on May 9:
- Access to central metro stations will be restricted
- All cafés and shops along the parade route will be shut down
- Taxi and e-scooter movement in the city center will be restricted
- Mobile internet — and possibly cell phone service — will be completely shut off in the morning
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov urged residents to be understanding. “This isn’t a technical failure — these are deliberate restrictions on mobile Internet for obvious reasons,” he said. “And of course, we should approach this with full understanding. We must take into account the, let’s say, dangers posed by our neighbors.”
Airport chaos
Cover photo: Meduza
73 episodes
Share
