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‘My phone is a brick’: Russians scramble for information as data blocked

Al Jazeera · · 1729 words · By Niko Vorobyov

The article discusses Russia's implementation of internet blackouts, citing security concerns related to Ukrainian drones. It mentions the impact on citizens, the government's justification for the measures, and criticisms from experts. The piece also references the use of state-controlled platforms and the potential for further restrictions.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/3/26/my-phone-is-a-brick-russians-scramb…

analyticsAnalysis

20%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 80%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

18 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 8
info Single Source 5
check_circle Corroborated 3
verified Verified By Reference 2
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“Russian authorities have implemented internet blackouts citing 'security concerns' due to Ukrainian drone attacks.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results report that Russian authorities cite security concerns, specifically mentioning Ukrainian drone attacks, as the reason for internet blackouts.
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web search NEUTRAL — Internet restrictions in Russia began in May 2025 and have become a regular occurrence. [1] In June 2025, there were 655 internet shutdowns recorded in the country, and by July, this figure had risen …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wartime_internet_restrictions_…
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web search NEUTRAL — The true reasons behind the blackouts are unclear. Officially, authorities cite security concerns, likely due to Kyiv's use of mobile-guided drones to strike targets deep inside Russia. Targeted shutd…
https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/03/moscow-internet-blackou…
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web search NEUTRAL — The government has cited security reasons for the internet outages, calling them precautions against Ukrainian drone attacks that use Russian mobile networks for targeting.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/world/europe/russia-putin…
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“Internet outages in Russia primarily affect mobile data, leaving Wi-Fi functional.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results mention that outages hit mobile internet, but none of the provided snippets specifically confirm that mobile data is affected while Wi-Fi remains functional, or vice versa. The evidence is suggestive but not definitive across multiple sources.
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web search NEUTRAL — But the most recent outages have hit the country's main centers of wealth and power: Moscow and Russia's second city, St. Petersburg. Public officials claim the blackout of mobile internet ...
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/21/europe/internet-outages-russi…
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web search NEUTRAL — (Berlin, March 31, 2026) - Russian authorities increasingly impose broad mobile internet shutdowns under the pretext of public safety, Human Rights Watch said today. Over the past month, they ...
https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/03/31/russia-internet-shutdown…
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web search NEUTRAL — The outages are part of the Kremlin's efforts to control Russia's internet architecture and communication networks - but also reveal the regime's growing anxieties.
https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/03/moscow-internet-blackou…
info
“Diana, a St Petersburg teacher, reported that her phone has no mobile internet functionality.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results provide information about Diana, Princess of Wales, and a different individual named Diana Loginova, but none of the provided evidence contains a report from a St Petersburg teacher named Diana stating her phone has no mobile internet functionality. The evidence is highly contradictory or irrelevant to the specific claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Diana Germanovna Loginova (Russian: Диа́на Ге́рмановна Ло́гинова; born 10 March 2007) is a Russian singer performing under the stage name Naoko and frontwoman of the band Stoptime. She gained her gre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Loginova
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The European Aquatics Women's Euro Cup, formerly the Women's LEN Trophy and LEN Women's Euro Cup, is European Aquatics's second-tier competition for women's water polo clubs. It was first held in 2000…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Aquatics_Women's_Euro…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — LifeTimes is an album by Diana Hubbard, released in 1979 by Waterhouse Records 8. In addition to Diana Hubbard, the album includes musical contributions from Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, John Goodsall…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LifeTimes
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Kommersant estimated Moscow's economy lost 3-5 billion rubles in five days of internet shutdowns.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results cite Kommersant estimating economic losses in Moscow during internet shutdowns, with figures matching the 3-5 billion ruble range.
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web search NEUTRAL — Experts estimate that Moscow’s businesses lost between 3 billion to 5 billion rubles ($38-63 million) during the first five days of the disruption, with courier services, taxi and car-sharing companie…
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/03/13/in-moscow-a-week-o…
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web search NEUTRAL — Business reporting compiled by outlets like Kommersant estimated losses to Moscow firms in early March at 3–5 billion rubles (about $37–61 million), with small and medium enterprises bearing the brunt…
https://www.newz.com/how-mobile-internet-shutdowns-are-resha…
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web search NEUTRAL — Russia’s enterprise every day Kommersant estimated that losses from the internet shutdown in Moscow might attain about 1bn roubles (£9.4m) a day. The State Duma in Moscow in February. Photograph: Rami…
https://thehill.in/unexplained-moscow-internet-blackouts-spa…
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“Russian authorities are using internet blackouts to test their 'whitelist' of approved websites.”
CORROBORATED
Two web search results suggest that the blackouts are linked to testing a 'whitelist' system, indicating the authorities are using the shutdowns for this purpose.
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web search NEUTRAL — Human rights activists said the shutdown could be linked to Moscow testing a new so-called "whitelist" system, under which only a limited number of government-approved websites and essential ...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/12/russia-interne…
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web search NEUTRAL — Instead, Zhyrmont suggested, a more plausible explanation is that these blackouts are being used to test the government's so-called "whitelist" of approved websites, through which only ...
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/3/26/my-phone-is-a-b…
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web search NEUTRAL — The use of whitelists has not only failed to solve the problem of access to internet services during mobile internet blackouts; it has spawned a fear that the authorities will never restore full inter…
https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/1…
info
“Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Belgorod, criticized internet outages and called for Roskomnadzor to be put on trial.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one web search result mentions Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov in the context of his actions or statements regarding the region, but it does not contain his criticism of internet outages or a demand that Roskomnadzor be put on trial. The evidence is insufficient to corroborate the full claim.
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web search NEUTRAL — 8, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov even announced a “partial” evacuation of residents from the region. To prevent accidents caused by the frost, utility services began draining water from heating systems.
https://theins.ru/en/society/289778
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web search NEUTRAL — Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Thursday that he plans to take a two-week vacation, a surprise announcement that comes amid reports of his looming dismissal.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/04/16/belgorod-governor-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Roskomnadzor is a federal executive body responsible for control, censorship, and supervision in the field of media, including electronic media and mass communications...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roskomnadzor
info
“Russia passed the 'sovereign internet' law in 2019 requiring state-controlled monitoring equipment.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Wikipedia entries confirm general information about Russia and the year 2019, but none of the provided evidence explicitly states that Russia passed the 'sovereign internet' law in 2019 mandating state-controlled monitoring equipment. The evidence is too general to confirm this specific legislative detail.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following lists events from the year 2019 in Russia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_in_Russia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country in Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the largest country in the world, spanning eleven time zones and sharing land borders with fourteen countries. W…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia is split into the following pages: November 8, 2016–January 2017 Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_investigations_int…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The 'sovereign internet' law enables real-time filtering, surveillance, and selective blocking of online traffic.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results provide definitions of 'sovereign' but do not contain any evidence detailing how the 'sovereign internet' law enables real-time filtering, surveillance, or selective blocking of online traffic. The evidence is definition-based, not functional.
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web search NEUTRAL — The FBI has called sovereign citizens "anti-government extremists who believe that even though they physically reside in this country, they are separate or 'sovereign' from the United States". [6] The…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_citizen_movement
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web search NEUTRAL — Nations and states are also sometimes described as "sovereign." This means that they have power over themselves; their government is under their own control, rather than under the control of an outsid…
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sovereign
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web search NEUTRAL — SOVEREIGN definition: a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler. See examples of sovereign used in a sentence.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sovereign
verified
“Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia has accelerated cyber-censorship, blocking platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries confirm that Russian state media has spread disinformation during the invasion, which supports the general claim of accelerated censorship, though specific blocking of all listed platforms is not detailed across all sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The casualties in the Russo-Ukrainian War include six deaths during the 2014 annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, 14,200–14,400 military and civilian deaths during the war in Donbas, and be…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Russo-Ukrain…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — As part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian state and state-controlled media have spread disinformation in their information war against Ukraine. This disinformation has also been spread a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation_in_the_Russian_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Areas of southern and eastern Ukraine are occupied and controlled by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War and the ongoing invasion. In Ukrainian law, they are defined as the "temporarily occu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian-occupied_territories_o…
verified
“Russian authorities throttled YouTube in 2024, blaming Google's servers for slow speeds.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly states that the process of targeted (artificial) limiting of access speed to YouTube in Russia began in July 2024 and was initiated by the Russian government as a pressure measure against Google.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The process of targeted (artificial) limiting of access speed to the video hosting service YouTube within the territory of Russia began in July 2024. It was initiated by the Russian government as a pr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blocking_of_YouTube_in_Russia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — YouTube is an American online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen who were all former employees of PayPal. He…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by the American video platform YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. The service is designed with an interface that allows users to simultaneously explo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube_Music
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“Apple removed dozens of VPN services from the Russian app store at Roskomnadzor's request.”
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“Russian authorities blocked Telegram, which was later restored after technical difficulties.”
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“Nikolai Kavkazsky stated Telegram is the most important source of communication and information for Russians.”
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“Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, was arrested in France on charges of failing to prevent illegal activity on the app.”
PENDING
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“Telegram has been used as a communications tool by both Russian and Ukrainian forces.”
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“Russian soldiers are ordered to delete Telegram, with non-compliance leading to reassignment to high-risk units.”
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“Russia opened a criminal investigation into Pavel Durov for facilitating terrorism.”
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“Russia is throttling Telegram in preparation for a full block set to take effect on April 1.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.