Russia to cut mobile service for most of day in occupied Crimea
Mobile service and internet access restrictions are intended to make it more difficult for information to spread (photo: Getty Images)
Russia tightens its control over occupied Crimea even further. In some cities, mobile service and internet access will be available only for part of the day, the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) reports.
The Center explains that in Dzhankoi, mobile service and internet access will be available for only eight hours a day. For the rest of the day, the network will be completely unavailable.
It says restrictions are primarily linked to Russia's military needs. In particular, they are intended to make it more difficult for information about the movement of Russian military equipment and personnel to spread.
The CCD also believes the communications blackouts allow the occupation authorities to tighten control over the information space and limit residents' access to information the Kremlin considers undesirable.
"Civilians turn into hostages to the military interests of the Kremlin, which makes Crimea a closed militarized zone," the statement by the Center said.
In addition to the mobile communications restrictions, occupied Crimea has been experiencing widespread power outages for several weeks. The occupation authorities stopped disclosing which communities remain without electricity following strikes on the energy infrastructure.
Meanwhile, authorities in Sevastopol have expanded scheduled power outages, saying they can no longer predict when electricity service will be restored.
