Officials from Russia’s Far East Kamchatka Peninsula announced on Wednesday that necessary enhancements to an underwater cable will result in a complete internet outage across the region for at least five days, beginning next week.
The local government stated that the state telecommunications company Rostelecom will engage in extensive work on the Sakhalin-Kamchatka fiber-optic line from September 25 to 29, focusing on upgrading the land-based infrastructure to prevent extended service interruptions due to potential cable erosion or damage.
During this outage, banks, emergency services, supermarkets, and other critical services will rely on satellite communications, according to the government’s notice.
“Residents will still have access to essential food supplies, even if they forget to withdraw cash,” assured Yulia Morozova, head of the regional administration.
In a related issue, the Digital Ministry of Kamchatka reported on the same day that cable damage further inland had interrupted services in four out of the 11 districts within Kamchatka. Repair teams have been sent out, although no estimated time for service restoration has been provided.
Various regions across Russia have been experiencing frequent internet outages since May due to an increase in Ukrainian drone attacks. Authorities have indicated that disabling mobile internet is a measure to hinder drones from being directed or receiving targeting information via civilian networks.
