In St. Petersburg, on the day of Putin’s arrival, complaints were made about mobile internet outages

Users wrote that websites and apps would not open for them, and only the authorities’ approved “whitelists” of resources were working. The Moscow Times reported a rise in complaints about outages.

The “City Parking Management Center” reported problems with paying for parking via mobile internet. Traffic jams formed in central St. Petersburg because of closed streets.

For traffic, Universitetskaya Embankment between Palace Bridge and Kadetskaya Line, Konnogvardeysky Boulevard, and Galernaya Street are closed. Congestion is being observed on the Obvodny Canal Embankment, Sadovaya Street, Dekabristov Street, and Malaya Morskaya Street.

On Friday, no warnings about drone attacks were announced either in St. Petersburg or in Leningrad Oblast. Earlier, Putin’s adviser Elena Yampolskaya said that he would come to St. Petersburg and attend the 12th International Forum of United Cultures, but his speech is not listed in the forum program.

Yampolskaya claimed that delegations from 40 countries had applied to participate in the forum, and among the announced topics were the preservation of “traditional spiritual and moral values”, cultural sovereignty, and “Russia without Hollywood”. Earlier, Putin came to St. Petersburg on July 26, Navy Day; at that time, mobile internet was also shut off in the city and only “whitelists” were working.

Sources

• Material: ru.themoscowtimes.com