Mobile Internet Was Shut Down In St. Petersburg On The Day Of Putin's Arrival
- 25.09.2026, 18:16
The dictator of the Russian Federation fears for his safety.
Residents of St. Petersburg have complained about disruptions to mobile internet service. Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to arrive in the city on September 25 to participate in the 12th International Forum of United Cultures. According to Downdetector, the number of complaints about outages began to rise after 3:00 p.m. and approached 300. Users report that websites and apps are not loading; only the “whitelisted” sites approved by the authorities are working. There were no warnings of drone attacks on Friday in either St. Petersburg or the Leningrad Region, reports The Moscow Times.
The “City Parking Management Center” reported issues with paying for parking via mobile internet. Authorities closed off streets, causing traffic jams in the city center. Specifically, Universitetskaya Embankment between Dvortsovy Bridge and Kadetskaya Line, Konnogvardeysky Boulevard, and Galernaya Street are closed to traffic. Traffic jams are also occurring on the Obvodny Canal Embankment, Sadovaya Street, Dekabristov Street, and Malaya Morskaya Street.
Police, the Russian Guard, firefighters, and ambulances are on duty near the Mariinsky Theater’s Second Stage, where a “special event” for the forum is scheduled to take place from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Putin’s advisor, Elena Yampolskaya, announced that Putin would be coming to St. Petersburg to attend the Forum of United Cultures. However, the president’s speech is not listed on the event’s program. Yampolskaya stated that 40 countries had sent official delegations to participate in the forum. Among the announced topics are the preservation of “traditional spiritual and moral values,” cultural sovereignty, and “Russia without Hollywood.”
Putin had previously visited St. Petersburg for Navy Day on July 26. At that time, mobile internet was also shut down in the city, and only “whitelists” were permitted.