Putin Visit Sparks Major Shutdown in Russian City

Internet access and mobile communications were limited in southern Russia as President Vladimir Putin toured the city of Krasnodar, according to a Russian media report.

Residents of the city "were warned about the shutdown of all types of communications in part of the city due to Putin's arrival," independent outlet 7x7 reported on Thursday. Several highways were closed, it said.

Residents in one part of the city were asked to use elevators less often on Thursday, as emergency services wouldn't be contactable with the communication blackout and road use would be limited, Russian state outlet Kommersant reported on Wednesday.

Putin arrived in the Krasnodar area on Thursday. The region connects to the annexed Crimean peninsula, which Russia has controlled since 2014 and used to launch attacks on Ukraine.

Russian independent journalist Farida Rustamova highlighted a similar situation from last year. She said in early February 2023 that mobile internet access was cut off in the Russian city of Volgograd ahead of Putin's arrival.

Authorities in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi, also in the Krasnodar region, reported "temporary interruptions" to mobile internet connection in parts of the city during another visit from the Russian leader in June 2023. That trip coincided with the arrival of foreign delegates to Sochi, including Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who met with Putin in the city.

Days later, Russian authorities organizing an economic forum in the Russian city of St. Petersburg said attendees of the conference wouldn't be able to use mobile internet during Putin's speech at the event. "There will be a temporary lack of Internet access from mobile devices," organizers said in a statement, adding that attendees would need to use a wireless connection supplied by the event.

Putin visited the Higher Military Aviation School, based in Krasnodar, on Thursday, meeting with a group of female pilots based out of the center.

The Russian leader tested out a flight simulator at the military school, praising the country's air force for its execution of "serious tasks on the battlefield," Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. Russia has suffered double-digit aircraft losses in just a few weeks at Ukraine's hands, according to statistics from Kyiv's military.

Putin also toured a new sports training facility for martial arts, Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of the Krasnodar region, said in a post to Telegram on Thursday.