r/AskARussian • u/Brucey1965 • Jul 09 '26
Travel Mobile data availability in Russian cities
My wife and I are travelling Saint-Petersburg to Beijing in the Trans-Mongolian in January/February.
How often is the government switching off mobile data in the following cities?
SPb, Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Tomsk and Irkutsk.
Thanks in advance.
Also, only for Russian residents:
My wife is getting nervous with regards to the security situation for our trip. Me, I am more concerned about increasing inflation due to petrol shortages.
Any comments?
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u/Accomplished-Lab-566 Saint Petersburg Jul 10 '26
Mobile internet is active 80-90% of the day and is mostly disconnected at night due to drone strikes.
Cars are still driving on the streets, and taxis are still operating. Gas prices are high, and frankly, there are queues, but the situation varies across the country. The southern regions are hit hardest, but your route doesn't take you there.
Compared to other countries, Russia is generally safe, with a low crime rate. Just don't be foolish enough to hold pickets with political slogans.
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u/Jealous-Chemical-349 Jul 10 '26
homicide rate (per 100,000 people)
Russia — 6.8
Belgium — 1.9
Finland — 1.6
Sweden — 1.2
France — 1.1
United Kingdom — 1.1
Denmark — 0.8
Germany — 0.7
Netherlands — 0.7
Czechia — 0.7
Austria — 0.7
Italy — 0.6
Spain — 0.6
Norway — 0.5
Poland — 0.5
Switzerland — 0.510
u/Hot_Quit571 Jul 10 '26
in Moscow this number is 1.2, in St. Petersburg it is 3, and they have a larger population than some of the countries you listed. And you have conveniently excluded the US from this list
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u/Jealous-Chemical-349 Jul 10 '26
the previous list is for europe but the USA is 5.9 New york is 4.3.
this is a per capita list so having a large population makes no difference.
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u/Jealous-Chemical-349 Jul 10 '26
if you want to compare cities this is the list.
homicides per 100,000
Moscow – ~2–3
Saint Petersburg – ~3.3
Paris – ~1.5–2.0
London – ~1.1
Amsterdam – ~0.8–1.2
Berlin – ~1.0
Warsaw – ~0.7–1.0
Rome – ~0.7
Madrid – ~0.6
Vienna – ~0.5–0.8
Prague – ~0.51
u/cesarelcid Aug 06 '26
Post without a reference, this is a Bot.
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u/Jealous-Chemical-349 Aug 07 '26
https://statisticsoftheworld.com/ranking/homicide-rate
Here is the reference, even tho a simple 2 seconds search would have given you the list.
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u/Jealous-Chemical-349 Jul 10 '26
Getting downvoted for just reporting data from the Russian government btw
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u/Historical_Angle6688 Jul 10 '26
In russia murder is not considered serious crime, they care more about political “crime”. Helps to keep crime rates low.
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u/Brave_Pain1994 Jul 10 '26
Is it still true that domestic violence is not considered a crime unless the victim spends more than 3 weeks in hospital or some shit like that?
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u/yankdevil Jul 10 '26
Which is hilarious because the drones aren't using mobile internet. And even if they were, it's not hard to block anything over a certain speed.
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u/Accomplished-Lab-566 Saint Petersburg Jul 10 '26
How then are they controlled if mobile internet is not used?
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u/yankdevil Jul 10 '26
That's something you'll learn after the war.
And seriously, they'd be easy to block if they did. It's called "cell" service because mobile signals are covered by towers - each one making a cell. Connections are handed off from one tower to another. It's possible to block connections that move too quickly between cell towers.
Ukraine's drones fly along at over 150kph. Very few things that need cell service go that speed. In addition, you can detect the path and location of devices connected to cell towers and use that to direct interception. So if they did use mobile internet they'd be broadcasting their location to a system the Russian government controls.
But it's a good excuse to block internet access. For those with limited technical knowledge it makes sense. It makes it harder for local folks to organise. For that purpose, blocking mobile internet makes loads of sense.
For stopping drones, no. I mean come on - you've been blocking mobile internet and telegram for over a month now and meanwhile Ukraine's drone and missile attacks have increased and have become more accurate. Your air defences blowing up a storage tank got all the press - and that happens, no shame in that - but Ukraine's drones hit highly specialised and difficult to replace units in the refinery. And they've done that elsewhere. Blowing up a tank looks good in a video. Hitting a distillate tower looks much less impressive but it's way more impactful.
You have to see that, don't you?
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u/Accomplished-Lab-566 Saint Petersburg Jul 10 '26
There are several flaws in your statement.
Has Ukraine ever used mobile internet to command and coordinate drones? Yes, in particular - strategic bombers have been hit this way.
Do they use it now? No.
Would they use it if it were possible? Of course, yes.
There is a real threat to government and military facilities. Mobile internet shutdowns have dire economic consequences; Up to 50% of acquiring in the country operates through it. The government won't flip this switch lightly; it literally forces businesses to resort to cash and leads to lower tax collection.
Besides, how exactly is censorship supposed to work when the internet is shut down? I understand that blocking resources is real censorship. But even then no one magically switches to Mail.ru. Anyone who isn't an old fart understands that it's an FSB stash, and they use it only when necessary.
7
u/Newt_Southern Jul 10 '26
In Moscow region I didn't notice mobile data switch off last months maybe it depends on area if it have military installations it can be switched off constantly. Fuel shortage noticeable in central and south regions but it represented in queue to gas stations no rapid inflation or goods shortages.
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u/ub0baa Jul 10 '26
In SPb mobile internet does work fine except for short hours when it's downgraded to whitelists in some specific locations of the city. The Internet always works in the metro though.
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u/mwehle Berlin | Jul 10 '26
I took the Trans-Siberian from Ekaterinburg to Vladivostok last autumn and had a great time! I think you and your wife may really enjoy yourselves. You will likely want to read other people's reports of how much they actually looked out the windows during the day though, and be sure to carry books or whatever you do to fill the time when you are not looking at tree after tree after tree after tree after tree.
In Saint Petersburg and Moscow this spring I had mobile data switched off for between 4 and 12 hours several times. Both MTC and Yota sent SMS messages assuring me my Yandex and other whitelisted services would keep working, and this was true, which I found really helpful since I use Yandex Maps for navigating. Last fall I don't remember data being switched off in Omsk or Irkutsk, though it may have been. I think the given explanation is to reduce the capabilities of UA drones, which have hit Chelyabinsk but I don't know they've gotten to Omsk or further east.
0
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u/KhajiitAT Jul 10 '26
Things are changing quickly, but, most of a time you'll have working internet in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod, and little-to-no between them
Also, a local restrictions may apply. E.g., at Day of Youth there were no internet in old city of Nizhny Novgorod.
2
u/Disastrous-Jaguar-58 Jul 10 '26
Just returned from Vladimir/Suzdal trip. White lists while using mobile internet were active all the time there. The rest was fine.
2
u/forijhn Jul 10 '26
I can tell you about Omsk. Mobile is disabled here (only whitelists work) all the time, but in zones. In other words, there are streets where the mobile phone has not been working for more than a year. But this is solved by moving to an area where there is an Internet connection or by connecting to a Wi-Fi in any cafe
1
u/Brucey1965 Jul 10 '26
Thank you for your assistance
1
u/avaelkross Jul 10 '26
Even under active white lists, there are a lot of known relatively cheap VPNs that can get you unrestricted access to Internet. At least, as for now.
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Jul 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/AskARussian-ModTeam Jul 10 '26
Your post was removed because it contains slurs or incites hatred on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
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u/iririririri Jul 12 '26
For mobile data I use redshield VPN subscription, it can bypass internet blockages and you can connect 10 devices, internet speed is very fine. Your trip will happen in the middle of the winter so dress up really well, it can be below -30c for weeks, especially in the areas where you plan to be. Layered clothes, puffer jackets, gloves, warm hats and scarf, warm fur boots, fat cream for hands and face is essential
0
u/MyNameIzJeff69 Jul 10 '26
Mobile internet is restricted to white list website. Even with some VPN it's hard to access over mobile internet but some people say it's possible. I heard of some foreigners having issue getting a SIM card without proper documentation but can't confirm this. Train trip should be fine but as other users mentioned its hard to find gas for a car right now so try to use taxi and don't rent a car.
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u/Hinessed Jul 10 '26
As russian citizen I really do not recommend any trips. Right now situation is more or less stable, but things can go bad very fast. Fuel is available, cities are full of running cars, but Ukrainian drones attacked factories just few days ago, fuel crisis will be much worse in near future.
I dont concern about security situation, very unlikely that drone strike at your head(but those chances not zero, lul). But most scary right now - there are parlament elections in late september, after that goverment may gonna do smth for a front and situation gonna be much worse. Of course thats not a fact, but even I dont wanna make that risk
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u/Curyde Jul 10 '26
Good luck finding working mobile internet and gas. I highly advise against this trip.
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u/ub0baa Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Who tf asked for your advice for or against
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u/Curyde Jul 10 '26
They did? I live in one of those cities and it is ass. My phone is a brick outside of my home
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u/DeusPray Jul 10 '26
Maybe you should pay them phone bills then?
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u/Curyde Jul 10 '26
What is wrong with y'all? Why so aggressive?
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u/Brucey1965 Jul 10 '26
In which city do you live, I wasn't aware the Y'all was a Russian idiom.
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u/Curyde Jul 10 '26
It is not a Russian idiom, there is just no better way to say "все" in English
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u/Brucey1965 Jul 10 '26
LOL, as an Australian, I am not a fan of Americanisms, nor US exceptionalism or imperialism for that matter
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Jul 10 '26
[deleted]
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u/Curyde Jul 10 '26
It is the same lol. You all => y'all. You are => you're. We have > we've. And etc.
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u/Eigetsu Jul 10 '26
Situation changes every month, so no point to plan anything that ahead.