In Russia It Was Proposed To Revive The Network Of Payphones Because Of Internet Blackouts

The idea was put forward by an odious State Duma deputy.

In Russia, against the backdrop of mobile Internet shutdowns, Russia should return to installing phone booths in major cities, where "safe" Internet will be connected. This was stated by Igor Antropenko, a member of the State Duma's trade and industry committee, who previously called for reducing working hours for women to increase the birth rate, writes The Moscow Times.

"The topic of reviving pay phones, but with Internet access, is urgently needed. This will allow citizens to stay in touch even during blackouts and ensure a proper level of security," the lawmaker told TASS.

Since the beginning of March 2026, large-scale internet blackouts have spread to Moscow and St. Petersburg. According to Antropenko, communication restrictions are perceived "more difficult" in the capital, as the city hosts "many administrative centers." On the eve of the deputies began to report that the Internet in the building of the State Duma has been absent for several days and even Wi-Fi does not work. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin advised parliamentarians to contact the Information Policy Committee on this matter and said that the restrictions were related to "security issues."

In the meantime, the Kremlin reported no difficulties with the Internet outages. They are using landline phones, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Internet and voice communications in Moscow began to be actively jammed on March 3. In the city center the network is completely absent, and in some other districts the citizens have access only to sites from the "white list". Against this background, according to Wildberries, Muscovites have sharply increased purchases of pagers, walkie-talkies and landline phones.

Peskov has already urged citizens to prepare for prolonged communications blackouts, justifying this by the fact that "the Kiev regime is using increasingly sophisticated methods of attack." He emphasized that the measures were being taken to "ensure the safety of citizens."

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