Moscow region bans rallies for free internet citing COVID restrictions
Authorities in towns across the Moscow region have refused permission to supporters of politician Boris Nadezhdin to hold rallies in support of a free internet and against the blocking of messaging services.
Nadezhdin announced this on his Telegram channel, citing Russian media reports.
According to him, his team submitted applications to hold demonstrations in five cities—Krasnogorsk, Khimki, Dolgoprudny, Mytishchi and Korolyov. The rallies were planned for 29 March, but organisers were denied permission in all cases.
The politician said the responses from local authorities were identical, stating that public events remain prohibited due to COVID-19 restrictions.
As an example, he published a reply from the administration of the Mytishchi urban district, which noted that a regional decree issued by the governor on 12 March 2020—banning mass gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic—remains in force.
At the same time, Nadezhdin pointed out that official sources regularly publish photos of large public events—such as celebrations, concerts and meetings with deputies—that appear to be taking place without restrictions.
Meanwhile, mobile internet access has reportedly been widely disrupted in St Petersburg and Moscow.
In the Russian-occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia region, the occupation authorities are reportedly considering a complete shutdown of internet services.
Mobile internet in Russia’s Chuvashia region has been largely unavailable for nearly two weeks.
