Moscow restricts mobile internet during Russia's Victory Day parade amid fears of Ukrainian strikes
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The Kremlin imposed mobile internet and texting restrictions in Moscow on May 9, a safety protocol measure seemingly highlighting Russia's fears of potential Ukrainian drone strikes during its annual Victory Day parade.
Russia's Digital Development Ministry announced following the parade that restrictions in Moscow, imposed for "security reasons," had been lifted, the Kremlin-controlled Russian Interfax news agency said on May 9.
Earlier on May 7, Russia's Digital Development Ministry had announced that mobile internet and SMS messaging services in Moscow would be temporarily restricted to ensure the safety of the parade, although home Wi-Fi would continue to work normally, Russian Interfax reported.
The measure comes as Ukraine ramps up its long-range drone strikes deep inside Russia and inside Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories over the past weeks. Moscow has had to scale back or cancel its parades in the capital and elsewhere in the country amid fears of potential Ukrainian strikes. The Moscow parade, which, unlike previous years, lacked military equipment, including tanks, lasted about 45 minutes.
The Russian Defense Ministry had repeatedly warned Kyiv against launching strikes during the parade, heightening tensions by declaring it would hit back at the center of the Ukrainian capital with a missile strike.
In a power play move, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an official decree, stating that he would "allow a parade to be held in Moscow."
A handful of foreign attendants of the scaled-back 2026 parade included Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, and Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith.
