The restrictions will remain in place as long as the measure is deemed "necessary to ensure the safety of citizens," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to AFP.
Residents of Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian cities began reporting disruptions to mobile networks last week. It was not until Tuesday that the Kremlin confirmed the disruptions, with Peskov calling them a “necessity.”
In the past month, Russia has imposed restrictions on both Telegram and WhatsApp, which critics claim is an attempt to further monitor and control the population.
The Kremlin has blamed Ukraine, saying it is using the apps to carry out sabotage in Russia.
