Russia vows to arrest internet shutdown protesters

Russia on Thursday said it would arrest anybody who protests mass internet blackouts, as Moscow deals with bubbling public discontent against widespread switch-offs.

The Russian capital on Wednesday officially lifted three weeks of restrictions on mobile internet access in Moscow -- a measure the Kremlin had called "necessary" for security -- but connection remains poor across many parts of the city.

Russian regions have been switching off mobile internet services for months in what they say is a measure to thwart Ukrainian counter-attacks with drones that connect to local data providers.

Russia's interior ministry on Thursday issued a warning against taking part in "unauthorised public events", citing an "increase" in calls for rallies.

"All attempts to hold such events will be immediately suppressed, and their organisers and participants will be detained," it said in a statement.

Russian authorities have long banned street demonstrations.

Organisers are required to get permission from local authorities in advance for any public gatherings, with the requests virtually always rejected.

Since sending troops into Ukraine, Russia has hardened its rules against public signs of dissent, outlawing criticism of the Kremlin and the Russian army with strict military censorship laws.

Officials in the southern city of Krasnodar initially gave approval for a public protest against the internet blackouts this weekend, before revoking the permission.

Other Russian cities have similarly rejected attempts to stage authorised public rallies.

The internet outages come alongside restrictions on the popular WhatsApp and Telegram messengers -- which have been barely usable without a VPN that masks traffic in recent months.

Moscow is pushing Russians to embrace the state-backed Max messenger platform.

Critics say the measures are an attempt by the Kremlin to ramp up online control and surveillance.

The mass switch-off in Moscow had frustrated locals and businesses, with taxi and delivery services thwarted and even payment terminals in shops stopping working.

Sales of paper maps, pagers and walkie-talkies had jumped amid the outage, sales data showed.