"Cooling Down" Without Leaving Home: A Resident in the Amur Region Had His Internet Service Disconnected, as If He'd Traveled Abroad

A Blagoveshchensk resident's internet access was restricted for 24 hours under new rules. This "cooling-off period" will apply to all SIM cards used by Russians returning from abroad. However, the Blagoveshchensk resident hadn't traveled anywhere: in the Amur, Khabarovsk, and Primorsky Krais bordering China, Chinese networks are easily accessible, and connections are sometimes disrupted.

How to пишет BLAGvegas channel: Almost every city resident has encountered this situation, where the Russian network goes out and the Chinese one comes back on. China is on the other side of the Amur River, and if you live near the embankment or walk along it, such situations are inevitable. 

"What do you think? Will this issue be resolved here, or should we wait?" the channel's creators asked. 

This isn't the first time mobile internet restrictions have been imposed in Russia. Sometimes they're justified as a fight against fraud, sometimes as a way to protect children. This time, a "cooling-off period" have been named necessary for combating drones. The restriction can be lifted through verification that the device is being used by a human, not a drone, or by calling the call center. 

In addition to the "danger from drones," these checks allow the state to obtain information about Russians who have left Russia for at least three days.