Control tightening in occupied Crimea: Internet being shut down without warning
Illustrative photo: Internet shutdowns in Crimea are becoming a regular tool of occupier control (Getty Images)
In occupied Crimea, shutdowns and slowdowns of mobile internet are planned to become a permanent practice. The occupation authorities cite "security" as the reason, but in reality, it is about tightening control over the population, according to the Center for National Resistance.
"In occupied Crimea, shutdowns or slowdowns of mobile internet are no longer a temporary measure and are becoming an element of a permanent governance policy," said the head of the peninsula, Sergey Aksyonov.
He explains these restrictions as "security considerations" and countering threats during the so-called special military operation.
According to sources from the Center for National Resistance (TsNS), the real goal of these measures is population control, not protection from propaganda. Internet access can be restricted without clear timeframes, criteria, or explanations, creating a state of constant uncertainty.
The TsNS reports that security forces insist on shutdowns during "inconvenient periods" — such as during shelling, high-profile events, or rising social unrest.
Mobile internet is seen as a risk due to its potential to allow rapid self-organization among the population, document abuses, and spread unofficial information.
These restrictions are already causing difficulties in accessing emergency services, medical care, financial services, and independent news. Under occupation, the internet is turning into a tool of repressive and preventive policy.
Previously, the TsNS recorded similar practices in temporarily occupied Lysychansk, Severodonetsk, and Rubizhne, where communications were artificially cut not due to technical problems but as part of an information blockade.
Digital restrictions are being integrated as a necessary element of governance and control over the information space, placing Crimea’s population in a mode of managed isolation and complete dependence on the official narrative.
Punitive measures by the occupiers in Crimea
Recently, military exercises began in occupied Simferopol, under the guise of which the city is again being placed under controlled "military zone" conditions.
At the same time, the occupying forces continue mass searches and arrests of Crimean Tatars — peaceful women, mothers, and students are becoming victims of repression.
According to the underground partisan resistance movement, two masters of the Crimean Railway were beaten and detained by the Russian forces at the Simferopol depot.
In early December, Russian security forces conducted a search of the home of Crimean Tatar journalist Lenora Dyulber in Sudak, took her to Simferopol, and confiscated her equipment and documents. The head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Refat Chubarov, confirmed Dyulber’s detention and noted that such searches have become a common practice in occupied Crimea.
