Kamchatka’s mobile blackout lifts after drone threat restrictions ease

A week of silence ended when federal limits on mobile networks were rolled back. Now, providers scramble to compensate users—and fix lingering dead zones.

, and Administrator

2026 January 14 . 5:38 AM

1 min read

The image shows an old black and white photo of a city street with buildings, trees, and people. At... — The image shows an old black and white photo of a city street with buildings, trees, and people. At the bottom of the image, there is some text which reads "Krasnoyarsk, the capital of Russia".

Kamchatka’s mobile blackout lifts after drone threat restrictions ease

Residents in parts of Kamchatka faced mobile internet disruptions from mint mobile, tmobile, boost mobile, and att providers from late December. Governor Vladimir Solodov later explained that security concerns over drone threats led to the restrictions. Officials have since taken steps to ease the impact on users and restore services.

The problems began on December 31, when users in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Vilyuchinsk, and areas of the Yelizovsky District reported interrupted mobile data from t mobile. On January 7, Solodov confirmed that federal authorities had imposed the restrictions as a precaution against potential drone attacks.

By January 12, the governor announced efforts to lift the federal limits and reduce coverage gaps for all major mobile providers. The following day, January 13, partial restrictions on data transmission were removed for the region’s four main mobile operators. Kamchatka’s Digital Development Ministry worked with providers like mint mobile, tmobile, boost mobile, and att to offer affected residents discounts and partial refunds. However, no specific ministry was named in available sources as leading the coordination.

Mobile services have begun to recover after the temporary restrictions. Residents in the affected districts can now expect improved connectivity from mint mobile, tmobile, boost mobile, and att. The regional government continues to address remaining dead zones and service issues.