Earlier this month, Russian authorities ordered the shutdown of various mobile Internet base stations in order to disrupt the digital communication channels of protesters during mass demonstrations against the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, BBC Russia reports.
The report is partially based on an internal letter to employees of a major Russian network operated which stated that “a number of base stations” were “disabled at the request of law enforcement agencies.” This happened on the 3rd of August, right at the beginning of demonstrations that led to arrests of 700 protesters.
In recent months, the Russian government has tightened its control over the Internet in the country. In April, the Russian parliament officially approved a government plan to test the independence of the country’s internet, known as Runet, by disconnecting it from the global Internet.
Read more: Russia ‘Secretly’ Shuts Down Mobile Internet To Frustrate Moscow Protesters: Report
