Users of popular messaging platforms Telegram and WhatsApp experienced severe access difficulties in Russia on Wednesday.
The state communications monitoring service explained that the problems resulted from a DDoS attack, a common cyber threat where systems are overwhelmed with fake traffic originating from multiple sources.
This disruption reportedly extended to other websites, such as Wikipedia, Skype, and even Discord. The disruption was proof that ensuring stable communication services in Russia continues to be a struggle. Although the monitoring service was quick to terminate the attack and reported that normal services had resumed, the fact that it was launched at all raises questions regarding the reliability of digital infrastructure in Russia.
Interestingly, major Russian telecom companies did not report any failures on their networks. These include industry giants such as MegaFon, Rostelecom, and VimpelCom, among others. This discrepancy adds complexity to the situation in the telecom sector, as the majority of users claimed they had no access to the internet and other networks, while operators insisted that everything was fine.
The impact of this incident was not only centred in Russia. According to reports, people in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Serbia, and other countries also faced problems as these services became inaccessible. This suggests that such interventions illustrate the peculiarities of digital technologies, where a single issue can lead to serious problems for people in different regions due to constant interaction.
Although internet interruptions are not such a rare phenomenon in Russia, they usually have a different objective. Typically, local users are prevented from accessing Western platforms. This is because such interruptions are usually orchestrated by authorities. Given this context, it is not surprising that the events on Wednesday also raised suspicions. Some experts believe that these disruptions were intentionally caused by Russian authorities.
Mikhail Klimarev, director of the Russian Internet Protection Society, also expressed his suspicions, implying that the latest disruptions were a result of government roguishness rather than an external attack. A more specific theory was offered by Stanislav Shakirov, co-founder and technical director of Roskomsvoboda, a Russian digital rights organisation. He suggested that the recent issues might have been caused by Roskomnadzor’s attempts to block Telegram, inadvertently affecting other services in the process.
It is also worth noting that this incident is not an isolated case. Instead, it fits into a pattern of digital disruptions occurring in Russia, usually during periods of increased social or political tension. In January, during the Bashkortostan protests against the decision to imprison local blogger and political activist Oleg Maksakov, there were reports of Telegram experiencing problems similar to those faced by WhatsApp users. Additionally, in July, the disruptions to WhatsApp in Dagestan were analysed as local authorities’ attempts to contain the spread of what they referred to as “calls to participate in extremist actions.”
The Russian government’s relationship with these messaging platforms has been complex and often confrontational. Attempts to block Telegram began in 2018, though these efforts had limited success in actually restricting the app’s availability. WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta Platforms Inc, faces even stricter measures, having been labelled an “extremist” organisation by Moscow in 2022. Other Meta services, including Facebook and Instagram, are officially banned in Russia, though they remain accessible through VPNs.
This latest incident of service disruption comes on the heels of other digital challenges in Russia. Recently, there were reports of mass outages affecting YouTube’s availability, coinciding with increased criticism of the platform by Russian authorities. Additionally, hundreds of Russian users of the secure messenger app Signal reported glitches earlier this month.
See also: Nordic satellites targeted by Russia after Sweden’s NATO accession

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