Residents of Moscow are reverting to analogue tools — walkie-talkies, pagers and paper maps — after sweeping internet restrictions linked to new powers granted by Vladimir Putin. Telecom sources told Russian newspaper Kommersant that authorities ordered mobile operators to throttle internet access across the capital. The blackout began days after new legislation empowered the Federal Security Service (FSB) to shut down telecom services nationwide. The move marks a dramatic escalation in state control over Russia’s digital infrastructure — and a sudden shock for ordinary citizens who rely on mobile networks for payments, transport and communication. Analog survival: radios, pagers and paper With connectivity failing, demand for old-school communication tools has surged. Russia’s largest retailer, Wildberries, reported a sharp spike in purchases of walkie-talkies and landline phones. Sales of pagers jumped 73%, while paper maps and printed city guides to Moscow nearly tripled as residents sought ways to navigate the city without GPS. Independent outlet Meduza reported outages across several major cities shortly after the law came into force in early March. Officials say the restrictions are legal. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the shutdowns were being carried out “in strict accordance with current legislation”. A controlled internet emerges Even as access disappears for many services, authorities are allowing limited connectivity through a “whitelist” system. Government platforms and selected domestic services remain accessible. State-backed networks such as VKontakte and Odnoklassniki, the official messaging platform MAX and state media including RIA Novosti remain reachable. For ordinary Russians, however, the outages have created immediate anxiety. One Moscow resident told Meduza she panicked after losing internet access and struggling to find functioning card payment systems. Without messaging apps, she said, even basic contact with family became uncertain. “If something happened,” she explained, “I wouldn’t be able to tell my loved ones quickly.” The result is a society abruptly pushed backward — where the digital age is being replaced, at least temporarily, with radios, paper maps and silence. Russians use walkie-talkies and paper maps after Putin turns off internet
