New notification system in Russia warns of internet shutdowns and security threats
James
2026-09-05
Read time
2 minutes
An independent system for notifying citizens of emergencies, security threats, law enforcement actions, and network outages has begun operating in Russia. The project was created due to regular delays in the operation of official emergency services, whose warnings often arrive late. Currently, the number of users of this specialized automated chatbot has exceeded 13,000 people.
The system operates via a popular messenger and analyzes about a thousand open information resources, including publications by local administrations, media, and eyewitness accounts. Artificial intelligence processes the received data, groups it by category and location, and then sends targeted notifications to subscribers based on their selected region or municipality.
Main areas of operation and types of alerts
The service sends warnings about aerial threats and records increased activity by law enforcement agencies, including document checks, mass raids, and compulsory measures regarding conscripts. A separate information block is dedicated to network access restrictions, including mobile internet shutdowns and the implementation of censorship through whitelists of approved websites.
Issues with official public information channels
A survey conducted by the platform's creators among 1,480 residents from 39 Russian regions revealed the low efficiency of official SMS alerts. In several regions, including Moscow, Bryansk, and Smolensk, about 76% of respondents stated that they almost never receive official emergency messages. Meanwhile, 44% of those surveyed noted that state warnings often arrive after the incidents have ended, and only 16% receive them on time.
Similar failures are acknowledged by regional authorities as well, who attribute the hour-long delays to the technical limitations of telecom operators during mass broadcasts. Against the backdrop of regular connection issues, users are also gradually becoming accustomed to periodic mobile internet shutdowns and report them less frequently, which complicates the overall assessment of the scale of internet shutdowns.
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