Residents of southern Russia faced restrictions on mobile internet and communications on Victory Day.

Residents of southern Russia and the North Caucasus reported interruptions in mobile internet and communications during the preparations for and events leading up to May 9. Issues were observed in North Ossetia, Chechnya, and Dagestan, while in Kabardino-Balkaria, some users reported mostly stable service. Meanwhile, parades and marches of the "Immortal Regiment" took place in several regions.

Internet problems in North Ossetia arose long before May 9.

In Vladikavkaz, residents reported that mobile internet began regularly dropping out several days before May 9. According to Sarmat, his regular mobile connection worked, but the internet was only available via Wi-Fi.

"I didn't notice any outages or any problems with calls, but I don't have mobile internet regularly. In the evening, the internet only worked after 5:00 PM. There are no problems with card payments, but there are with QR codes," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Sarmat noted that he uses Megafon and has also experienced outages with VPN services in recent days. "The VPN crashes more often, servers get blocked, and I have to update the settings," he explained.

Another Vladikavkaz resident, David, said the connection problems have been ongoing for about two weeks.

"Mobile communications have been terrible for the past two weeks. Yesterday, for example, there was no mobile internet all day, and that made it very difficult to work, since my job involves the internet, and I was on the road and there was no Wi-Fi," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to David, some Russian services continued to work even during the restrictions.

"MAX, Gosuslugi, and Mail worked without problems. "Today, mobile internet only started working a little after 3:00 PM Moscow time," he noted, adding that he uses Megafon.

He also stated that VPN services weren't helpful during the outages. "When mobile internet is completely down, having a VPN is absolutely useless," the source said.

Zalina, a resident of Vladikavkaz, said that the internet was particularly poor on the morning of May 9. "There was no internet until the parade was over. Without a VPN, nothing worked at all," she told a Caucasian Knot correspondent.

According to her, the outages also caused problems with regular communications. "I couldn't reach my friends or my child," a city resident said.

Residents of Chechnya and Dagestan also complained of mobile internet outages

A Grozny resident, Adam, reported that he had not encountered any serious restrictions, but attributed this to using a SIM card from another region.

"The locals are having problems. I have a SIM card in roaming, from St. Petersburg, and I haven't encountered any particular connection problems," he told a Caucasian Knot correspondent.

At the same time, a local resident, Khava, told a Caucasian Knot correspondent thatthe mobile internetand The city's home Wi-Fi stopped working on the night of May 7th and remained unavailable for almost two days.

"They cut it off back on the night of May 7th. They only recently turned on mobile internet and Wi-Fi, which wouldn't connect because there was no internet. "The VPN only started working around 10:00 PM Moscow time," she reported.

According to the source, explosions and gunfire were heard in various parts of the city on the morning of May 8.

"At dawn, there were explosions and gunfire in various parts of the city, including near me and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. They say it was drones," a Grozny resident said.

A resident of Kabardino-Balkaria, Umar, on the contrary, said that mobile internet in the republic was working reliably, especially compared to North Ossetia.

"I'm in Kabardino-Balkaria now, where, unlike Ossetia, everything works perfectly. My VPN works fine. I have Beeline and Megafon," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

At the same time, the interlocutor linked the outages to the broader situation in southern Russia in recent days. He reported lengthy flight delays from Moscow.

"I lost the whole day trying to fly to Vladikavkaz yesterday. "The plane was supposed to depart at 11:30 a.m., but we didn't leave until 6:20 p.m. There were people who were supposed to leave at 7:30 a.m., but they left at 5:00 p.m.," he said.

According to Umar, Sheremetyevo Airport explained the delays to passengers due to problems with navigation equipment.

"There's a internet disaster in Ossetia. Nothing worked on my mobile phone, not even Sberbank. Some things worked on open Wi-Fi in the city, but the VPN wouldn't launch. "The VPN worked on Wi-Fi at the cafe," he said, adding that he was in Vladikavkaz the day before Victory Day and during the parade, and arrived in Nalchik in the evening.

Mobile service restrictions in Kabardino-Balkaria were observed on May 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Moscow time and in the evening from 11:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Moscow time. A "Drone threat" was declared during these same periods, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reported.

The "Immortal Regiment" march this year, like last year, was canceled due to security concerns. As in previous years, Nalchik residents laid flowers at the Eternal Flame in Nalchik Park.

Dagestan also reported disruptions in mobile communications and the internet. "Mobile communications are intermittent today," Makhachkala resident Murad told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. He noted that he is experiencing "constant disconnections of mobile internet." However, Murad uses MTS services.

The Dagestan Ministry of Digital Development warned of possible restrictions on mobile internet service on May 7 and 9, 2026.

"These measures are being introduced in connection with the preparation and holding of festive events dedicated to Victory Day and are aimed at ensuring security. "We ask for your understanding regarding possible temporary interruptions in mobile internet service," the ministry's Telegram channel posted on May 6.

"Connection was severely disrupted on May 9. “To finish the conversation with the person, I had to call back three times,” Kaspiysk resident Aminat told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

“Mobile internet only worked on ‘white lists’ for three days; on May 9, communication was difficult in the city, says Kaspiysk resident Arsen.

Makhachkala resident Zaur told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent that on May 9, it was impossible to send voice messages, videos, and photos via WhatsApp*.

The survey is not representative and reflects only the personal opinions of its participants.

As a reminder, the military parade in Volgograd took place today without samples of modern combat vehicles; the organizers limited themselves to a display Retro technology. The festive event was held amid communication restrictions and failed to generate much excitement among spectators. Rostov-on-Don canceled the parade.

A military parade was held in Kaspiysk today, and the "Immortal Regiment" march drew a large crowd in Makhachkala, reports the Russian State Military Commission "Dagestan."

A year ago, on May 9, 2025, military parades were held in several cities in the Southern Federal District: Rostov-on-Don, Novocherkassk, Novorossiysk, Maykop, Elista, and Astrakhan. In most cities, spectators were able to see columns of troops and equipment.

In 2024, the format of Victory Day celebrations was changed in a number of regions in southern Russia: parades were not held in Cherkessk and Krasnodar, while Rostov-on-Don, Volgograd, and Novorossiysk held them without spectators. The previous year, parades were held in Volgograd, Vladikavkaz, Mozdok, Novorossiysk, Rostov-on-Don, Cherkessk, Stavropol, and Pyatigorsk.