Moscow stages a Victory Day blackout before drones steal the show

Nation

4 May, 03:00 PM

Author: Alex Stezhensky
Mobile operators are warning Moscow residents of “temporary restrictions” on mobile internet and SMS services from May 5–9, Novaya Gazeta reported, citing Beeline.

“We recommend using Wi-Fi to access the internet,” Beeline said.

Media outlets earlier reported that restrictions in Moscow ahead of the May 9 parade would be “stricter.” Cellular service could be blocked not only in central Moscow but also across the area inside the Moscow Ring Road. Even “whitelisted” internet resources — sites that usually remain accessible during internet restrictions — may stop working.

An explosion was heard in Moscow overnight on May 4 during a drone attack, five days before the planned May 9 parade, which Russian authorities traditionally turn into a propaganda show.

Local public channels reported that an unidentified drone hit a high-rise building near Mosfilmovskaya Street. Earlier, residents of the Moscow region outside the capital filmed a drone flying overhead.

This year’s May 9 parade on Red Square in Moscow will be held without military equipment, with only a marching column taking part. The guest list will be reduced to several hundred people instead of the usual thousands, and the parade itself will last less than an hour.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian drones could appear over the May 9 parade in Moscow, adding that Russia is no longer as strong as it once was.

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