Fact check: Massive Internet outage in russia: even the error monitoring service is not working, — rosZMI

1. Summary of the results

A massive internet outage did occur in Russia, affecting multiple major telecommunications providers including Beeline, Megafon, MTS, Rostelecom, and Tele2 ^[1]. The disruption impacted access to numerous platforms including Telegram, Google, YouTube, WhatsApp, TikTok, Steam, and Twitch ^[1]. Roskomnadzor, Russia's telecommunications regulator, initially claimed to be unaware of the cause but later acknowledged it as a "short-term disruption in connectivity" that was "promptly restored" ^{[2] [3]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial pieces of context were omitted from the original statement:

• This was the second internet outage in Russia within 10 days ^[3]
• Notably, some services like VKontakte remained mysteriously unaffected, possibly due to the social network's connection to a high-ranking government official's family ^[3]
• The outage affected websites and apps for stores and banks ^[3]
• The disruption has potential strategic significance, particularly regarding messaging apps and independent news sites crucial to information flow during the Russia-Ukraine war ^[2]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement presents an oversimplified view of a complex situation:

• While it mentions the monitoring service not working (Sboy.rf), this was only a temporary issue within a much broader disruption ^[3]
• Multiple credible news sources, including Tass, Meduza, and Novaya Gazeta, reported on the outage ^[2]
• There are competing narratives about responsibility:

Rostelecom and other telecom providers denied responsibility ^[3]

Some sources speculated that Roskomnadzor might have intentionally caused the outage ^[2]

• The selective nature of the outage (with some government-connected services unaffected) raises questions about potential state involvement ^[3]

Those benefiting from different narratives include:

• Russian government agencies (Roskomnadzor) benefit from portraying this as a minor, quickly resolved technical issue
• Opposition voices and foreign observers benefit from highlighting potential government involvement and the broader pattern of disruptions
• VKontakte and its connected officials benefit from demonstrating their service's reliability compared to foreign platforms