By Andrew Osborn, Darya Korsunskaya and Dmitry Antonov
MOSCOW, April 14 (Reuters) – The Kremlin told Russians on Tuesday that mobile internet shutdowns that have disrupted the lives of millions are temporary and will eventually be lifted and a source told Reuters the crackdown had angered parts of the elite.
Authorities shut down the mobile internet in Moscow for nearly three weeks in March and regularly block it elsewhere, citing the risk of Ukrainian drones using it to guide attacks. The Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor agency to the Soviet KGB, is in charge of internal security.
Meta’s WhatsApp has been completely blocked and it has become extremely difficult to use the Telegram messenger service – which has long been Russians’ preferred digital ecosystem – after both messengers were accused of not complying with Russian law. A campaign to block virtual private networks which are used to bypass online censorship has also been stepped up.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that “security considerations” dictated the need to take certain measures, but that they were temporary.
“It is clear that restrictions on internet access cause inconvenience for many citizens, but… once the need for these measures has passed, internet access will, of course, be fully restored and returned to normal,” said Peskov.
ANGER AMONG ELITE
A source close to the Kremlin told Reuters that a slew of senior business-oriented current and former officials and bankers – who were worried about the backlash from business which has lost millions because of the shutdowns – had lobbied President Vladimir Putin to moderate the crackdown.
“Most of the Kremlin is grappling with this issue, holding meetings and drafting documents to argue that blocking is a bad thing,” said the source, who asked not to be named because of the matter’s sensitivity.
“The situation is frustrating everyone, including loyalists, and this is holding back the momentum (to crack down further). It is highly unlikely that things will get any worse; on the contrary, they will be working to resolve certain issues.”
Opinion polls and anecdotal evidence suggest many Russians are unhappy with the crackdown, and particularly the mobile internet shutdowns which have sometimes meant they can only make calls and send standard text messages.
The Kremlin statement is likely to be seen as a sign that it recognises the depth of anger among the public and some politicians and business people about the shutdowns, as well as a wider crackdown, and is aware that the issue risks becoming a bigger problem ahead of parliamentary elections this autumn.
Putin, in power as either president or prime minister for 26 years, faces no serious political challenge after more than four years of war in Ukraine following a years-long crackdown on opponents and sweeping wartime censorship laws.
But rising prices and taxes and irritation over the online clampdown risk making it harder to corral support for the ruling United Russia party at the ballot box later this year.
A state-backed move to push people onto a new state messenger called MAX has also faced pushback from people amid claims – denied by the authorities – that it will make it easier for the security services to track users.
(Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Dmitry Antonov in Moscow and by Darya Korsunskaya on London, Writing by Andrew Osborn ; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
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