Russia shocks tourists: 24 hours without internet for all foreign SIM cards

Russian telecom operators have introduced strict restrictions for all foreign subscribers in roaming: automatic 24-hour blocking of data services and SMS from the moment of first registration in the network. This applies to all SIM cards, including eSIM, regardless of country of origin. The block is only removed after 24 hours, but if the SIM card remains inactive for three days after that, the restrictions will return for a new 24-hour period until any activity appears.

As reported by Baku.Ws with reference to official warnings from MTS, the measure is aimed at strengthening security measures in the fight against the use of foreign SIMs for remote control of drones and cyberattacks. "Russian telecom operators are introducing mandatory 24-hour blocking of data services and SMS for all roaming subscribers registering in Russian operator networks," - emphasizes the MTS notification to customers. The first good news for travelers: voice communication remains fully available, so making and receiving calls are not affected.

Initially, the authorities planned a milder "cooling period" - just a few hours with mandatory verification through a captcha, where the user would have to select images to prove they are human, not a robot or drone. Vedomosti wrote about this with reference to the head of the Ministry of Digital Development Maksud Shadaev back in August: "Foreign SIM cards after entering Russia will cool down for a period of several hours and their data transmission services will be disabled." However, at the moment the captcha is not implemented, and the blocking is extended to a full day, which has already caused a wave of complaints from tourists and business travelers. According to Fontanka.ru and RIA Novosti, the first cases of blocking affected Belarusian and European subscribers, leaving them without internet at airports and hotels.

Experts from ComNews note that such restrictions could complicate life for millions of foreign visitors to Russia, especially during the tourist season. "This effectively deprives them of key communication channels for the first day after entry," - comment in Novaya Gazeta Europe. There are no official plans for easing yet, but operators like A1 and MTS are actively informing clients: to minimize inconvenience, it is recommended to activate the SIM in another country in advance or use Wi-Fi. Authorities emphasize: the goal is protection from threats, but for ordinary users this has become an unexpected blow.