Russia’s Kamchatka region has shut down mobile internet, claiming it’s to shield military facilities from possible drone attacks.
It’s unclear whether the threats are coming from Kyiv. The remote Kamchatka Peninsula lies over 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) from Ukraine, farther east than Vladivostok and closer to Alaska than China – with no roads connecting it to the rest of Russia.
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The region’s governor, Vladimir Solodov, said on Tuesday that the decision was made at the federal level and that some local districts have been affected since Dec. 31.
“The mobile internet outages were discussed at a task force meeting. Residents of most of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Vilyuchinsk, and certain areas of the Yelizovsky District have been experiencing difficulties since Dec. 31,” Solodov wrote in a Telegram update.
Solodov said the move was “motivated by security concerns.”
“The decision to restrict mobile internet access in regions where important Ministry of Defense facilities are located was made at the federal level and is motivated by security concerns,” he wrote.
“Kamchatka is a strategically important region. In the current environment, we must be prepared for any challenge – the threat of drone attacks on military and infrastructure facilities is relevant not only to our country’s western borders,” he added.
Kamchatka hosts Russia’s Pacific submarine fleet based at Vilyuchinsk, which was hit by a powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake and resulting tsunami on July 30, 2025.
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Solodov said the restrictions would be lifted “as soon as the strategic and tactical situation allows,” adding that authorities would ensure public wifi access and consider reducing internet subscription fees for affected users to “minimize inconvenience.”
To date, Ukraine has yet to strike any Russian bases in Kamchatka, likely due to the immense distance. One of the farthest attacks in October 2025 reached Tyumen, a city in Siberia some 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
However, Ukraine has recently expanded its deep strikes inside Russia, hitting oil facilities and tankers in the Caspian Sea and other areas far from Ukraine’s borders, separated by third countries.
Kyiv alleges ulterior motives in internet shutdown
Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation said the Kamchatka restrictions are not isolated, saying Moscow’s ultimate goal is to tighten its grip on Russia’s information space.
“This is not an isolated case. According to monitoring resources, during 2025, mobile internet in Russia was turned off more than 11,000 times in 80 regions – in some places every day. The shutdown was announced even on New Year’s Eve,” the center wrote in its Wednesday announcement.
The center claims the restrictions are an attempt by Moscow to measure how its “centralized control mechanisms” work.
“Formally, everything is presented as ‘security measures.’ In fact, the Kremlin is gradually turning the internet into a fully controlled space,” it wrote.
“Under the pretext of danger, the authorities are able to isolate entire regions from external information at any time and check how the population reacts and how effectively the centralized control mechanisms work,” it added.
While watchdogs have criticized Russia’s draconian internet laws – which fine users for accessing restricted content, throttle foreign messaging apps, and promote the state-backed “Max” platform that allows government surveillance – it remains unclear whether the latest restrictions in Kamchatka are officially part of that broader information clampdown.
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