At an international festival in Yekaterinburg, a separate, unblocked internet connection was set up for foreign visitors
In Yekaterinburg, Russia, at the “Yekaterinburg-Expo” exhibition complex, separate, unfiltered internet access was provided for foreign guests during the “International Youth Festival.”
Foreign participants received special SIM cards and access to a separate Wi-Fi network without traffic filtering, allowing them to freely use social media platforms and messaging apps that are blocked in Russia.
To log in to the special network, users must enter their accreditation badge number; the system automatically blocks connection attempts by Russian citizens. For Russian participants and journalists at the venue, Roskomnadzor’s standard restrictions apply. At the same time, in the Sverdlovsk Oblast itself, there is no internet access at all in 283 settlements.
The event is taking place from September 11 to 17 with the participation of about 10,000 people, half of whom are foreigners. According to available data, Russian authorities already employed a similar practice of creating a “parallel internet” without restrictions for foreign guests in June during the St. Petersburg Economic Forum.
This was reported by the publications “Svet Yekaterinburg” and “Signal Ural.”
In Russia, government agencies have once again taken down the entire internet.
Russian telecom operators “Megafon” and Yota have begun officially warning residents of St. Petersburg about significant disruptions in mobile internet service.
