Internet Whitelists and Mobile Shutdowns: What Works and Why

What are whitelists and shutdowns

A shutdown is the intentional disconnection of the internet or communications in a specific area. During a total shutdown, mobile internet stops completely. A whitelist is a softer version: the network is closed to everything except approved websites and apps.

This is the opposite of a standard block. When Roskomnadzor (Russia's communications regulator) blocks a website, one address is inaccessible while the rest of the internet works. Under a whitelist regime, everything is inaccessible except the approved list. This is why standard connection methods, including VPNs, usually fail during this time.

In US news, a 'shutdown' means something else: suspending the federal government when a budget isn't passed. This has nothing to do with the internet.

The origin of shutdowns and whitelists

Mobile internet restrictions in Russian regions have been implemented since spring 2025. Mintsifry explains them as a security measure: 'Targeted mobile internet shutdowns in Russian regions are carried out during security threats,' including drone attacks, to disrupt their navigation (CNews).

Whitelists emerged to make these shutdowns less painful. Key dates:

• September 2025. Mintsifry announced that operators were piloting access to certain services during restrictions: social networks, marketplaces, navigation, taxi, delivery, supermarkets, and operator dashboards. Gosuslugi, remote voting systems, and presidential/government websites were promised next. According to the ministry, no extra identification or captchas were required (ComNews).
• Autumn 2025 — Spring 2026. The list expanded several times. In February, for example, it added VTB and PSB banks, CDEK delivery, Samokat, tax services (FNS), and housing utilities (GIS ZhKH) (Fontanka). By April 1, 2026, under presidential order, glucose monitoring systems for diabetics were included (CNews).
• February 20, 2026. Federal Law No. 33-FZ was signed (text). Operators are required to suspend communication services at the FSB's request 'in cases established by regulatory legal acts of the President of the Russian Federation' and are not liable to subscribers. The law took effect on March 3, 2026.
• March 2026. Mobile internet restrictions were active in central Moscow for several consecutive days, marking the first mass use of whitelists in the capital. Dmitry Peskov linked the restrictions to security, stating they were applied 'in strict accordance with the legislation' (Kommersant).
• May 9, 2026. Mintsifry warned that mobile internet and SMS would be restricted in Moscow during the parade, and whitelists would not function; home internet and Wi‑Fi were expected to work normally (CNews).
• October 27–29, 2026. Mintsifry warned of possible mobile internet restrictions inside the Third Transport Ring during two international summits. Calls, home internet, and Wi‑Fi, according to the ministry, continued working normally, along with high-demand whitelisted services (ComNews).

We collect recent updates on restrictions in our news section.

Which services are on the whitelist

Mintsifry does not publish a single, accessible list of addresses to check. The lineup is known from ministry statements and operator pages. MegaFon states plainly: 'Mintsifry shapes the list, and we configure these services' (MegaFon). In practice, the list varies by operator and region.

Here is what MTS listed as accessible during restrictions in June 2026 (MTS):

Telegram and WhatsApp are not on the lists: Max is the only messenger included (Kod Durova). Major services also have gaps. According to CNews, as of April 1, 2026, Sber and T-Bank apps did not work during restrictions, and MTS had the shortest list. Since then, the lists have expanded, so check your operator's current page.

Why a whitelisted service might fail to open

Even services on the list sometimes fail during restrictions. There are usually several reasons:

• poor signal: MegaFon notes that 'services are only available with a 3G or 4G/LTE signal';
• operator lists vary: 'a website works for one operator but not another,' notes Kod Durova;
• the app loads parts of its data, like images or maps, from addresses not on the whitelist, causing it to partially load;
• a VPN is active on the phone (we explain why this interferes in the next section).

If you have two SIM cards from different operators, test both during restrictions: the service you need might work on one but not the other.

How to check your operator's list

1. Open your operator's website and find the 'Whitelist' or 'Services available during restrictions' section. MegaFon has a regional PDF list on their page.
2. Check if the essentials you rely on are listed: banking, maps, taxi, or work tools.
3. For anything missing, plan a backup in advance: home Wi‑Fi, a phone call instead of a messenger, or cash instead of an app.

Getting on the list comes with conditions. According to Kommersant, in spring 2026, Mintsifry wrote to companies stating they would only keep their whitelist status if they met specific requirements, including blocking users with active VPNs (Kommersant). This explains the prompts to disable VPNs in banking and marketplace apps, detailed in our article on banks and Gosuslugi with a VPN.

Why a VPN doesn't help during mobile internet shutdowns

Normally, an operator lets traffic flow almost anywhere and only blocks specific addresses. Under a whitelist regime, this rule is flipped: the operator's equipment only allows connections to IP addresses and domains on the list, dropping everything else.

A VPN app establishes an encrypted connection to a VPN server, routing all the phone's traffic through it. To the network, this looks like a single connection to a single address. If that address isn't on the whitelist, the connection won't establish, and encryption never even begins. Hence the typical scenario: the VPN app endlessly tries to connect or shows a timeout error. We explain how VPNs work under the hood in our article what is a VPN.

There is a second reason. Many whitelisted services actively block users with a VPN turned on. MegaFon states plainly on its whitelist page: 'for services to work correctly, your virtual private network (VPN) must be disabled.' So, with an active VPN, even whitelisted services might fail to open during restrictions.

How to tell if a whitelist is active or your phone is broken

The signs are usually clear: the mobile network icon is visible, calls go through, Gosuslugi, Yandex, or a marketplace will open, but other sites and messengers won't. Sometimes your operator sends an SMS about restrictions, or local news reports 'temporary restrictions.' Meanwhile, everything works normally on your home Wi‑Fi.

If your VPN won't connect on normal days without restrictions, the cause is different. We walk through the steps in our article on why a VPN won't connect.

What still works: Wi‑Fi, calls, and SMS

Home internet and Wi‑Fi. Restrictions target mobile networks. Mintsifry repeated this before the Moscow restrictions in May and October 2026, and MegaFon notes on its whitelist page: 'During restrictions, you can use any services over Wi‑Fi.'

Calls. These usually go through. Before the May restrictions in Moscow, operators advised using Wi‑Fi and VoLTE calls (CNews).

SMS. Generally functioning, but not always: on May 9, 2026, SMS in Moscow were restricted alongside mobile internet.

Public Wi‑Fi in cafes, malls, and offices is connected to wired internet, making it a frequent lifesaver during mobile restrictions. Connect to unfamiliar networks cautiously; we explain how to protect your data in our article on public Wi‑Fi security.

Turn off your VPN during restrictions. It won't connect anyway, and whitelisted apps might refuse to open if it's on. Turn it back on once restrictions are lifted.

Card payments. Store terminals are mostly connected via wire or Wi‑Fi. Problems arise where a register or terminal relies on a mobile network: in taxis, with couriers, or at small stalls. Even if your banking app opens via the whitelist, the seller's payment terminal might fail.

How to prepare for a mobile internet shutdown

Most issues during restrictions happen because you need something that only exists online: a map, a ticket, a phone number in a messenger. This is easily fixed in half an hour.

1. Download offline maps for your city in your preferred navigation app. In 2GIS and Yandex Maps, you can pre-download maps; if you can't find the setting, search the app's help section for 'offline maps'. An offline map will save you even when whitelists fail, as they did on May 9 in Moscow.
2. Save essential items to your phone for offline use: e-tickets and boarding passes, QR codes, copies of your passport and mandatory health insurance (OMS) policy, and addresses.
3. Save important numbers in your regular phone contacts, not just your messenger: family, doctor, building management, work. The universal emergency number is 112.
4. Agree with family on how to communicate during restrictions: a standard call or SMS instead of voice and video messages.
5. Write down your home Wi‑Fi password on a card so all family members and guests can easily connect.
6. If you work on the go, enable offline access for critical documents in your cloud storage.
7. Learn how to pay for parking without an app. In Moscow, you can send an SMS to 7757 in the format 'parking zone*license plate*hours' (Auto.ru Journal).
8. Keep some cash handy in case a taxi driver or small shop relies on a mobile terminal.

Take a moment to help older relatives. Download offline maps for them, write down important numbers on paper, and explain that if 'the internet is gone,' calls usually still work, meaning they can simply phone you.

Finally: check your operator's whitelist page beforehand while the internet is up. It might not load during the restrictions.

Will home internet get whitelists

Not for now. In March 2026, rumors of whitelists for wired internet spread across social media, and on March 23, Mintsifry labeled them fake. The ministry explained that wired technologies are not used for drone attacks, so restricting them makes no sense (CNews).

Technically, Federal Law No. 33-FZ refers to 'communication services' as a whole, without separating mobile and wired, while presidential acts define the scenarios for suspending connections. In practice, all known restrictions up to October 2026 have only affected mobile networks, while home internet and Wi‑Fi stayed online.

We explain what the law says you can and cannot do with a VPN, and why major services ask you to disable it, in our article on is it legal to use a VPN in Russia.