Only 30.5 percent of mobile internet connections in Central Russia worked without restrictions during July 2026, according to research by telecom network monitoring company Vigo.
Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that remaining connections operated through whitelists restricting users to specific websites and online services. Vigo based its study on an analysis of nearly one billion user sessions, finding that whitelist connections in Central Russia grew by an average of 31 percent since January.
Border areas recorded the heaviest limitations, with only about 12 percent of mobile internet sessions in Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions operating without restrictions by the end of July. Moscow and Moscow Region saw unrestricted access in about 49 percent of connections. Saint Petersburg recorded 43.9 percent unrestricted connections, while Leningrad Region reached 58.9 percent.
The Jewish Autonomous Region maintained the highest level of unrestricted access at 75.7 percent of sessions, followed by the Republic of Tyva at 72.3 percent and Magadan Region at 69 percent.
Whitelist content and government regulation
The Ministry of Digital Development forms the official whitelist, which lists websites and IP addresses that remain accessible during mobile internet restrictions. The permitted resources include the Gosuslugi state services portal, government websites, Yandex services, VK, online marketplaces, telecom operator portals, and other compliant services.
Market impacts on telecom operators
Strategy Partners partner Sergey Kudryashov said operators are responding by revising tariff plans and expanding fixed broadband access. He noted that subscribers paying for large mobile data packages cannot always use them fully, which may lead some customers to switch tariffs or providers.
TMT Consulting General Director Konstantin Ankilov said the restrictions have not yet caused a noticeable drop in operator revenues because mobile internet is typically bundled with voice services. He added that over the long term, widespread restrictions could intensify competition for subscribers and complicate the creation of new tariff packages.
