Russia has blocked access to banned websites for holders of foreign SIM cards
In Russia, holders of foreign SIM cards can no longer access websites blocked by Russian authorities. The restrictions took effect about a week and a half ago.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Digital Development has confirmed that roaming internet traffic from foreign operators is now being filtered in accordance with Russian regulations. The ministry explained that this is necessary to ensure “security in the digital space.”
The restrictions apply only to resources blocked by order of the Russian authorities. At the same time, services that have voluntarily suspended or limited their operations in Russia remain accessible. Users also report that they can use a number of foreign services, including neural networks.
According to Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group, the nature of the restrictions depends on the carrier. For example, owners of SIM cards from the United Arab Emirates can access Arab websites and Russian government services, but they are blocked from popular foreign social media platforms.
After the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, demand for foreign SIM cards in Russia has risen significantly. They were used to register on foreign platforms, access foreign banking services, and bypass internet blocks. According to estimates by the Mobile Research Group, there are currently about 2 million foreign SIM cards in Russia, of which approximately 500,000 are regularly used to access the internet.
This was reported by The Moscow Times.
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