Millions of people in Russia have had their mobile internet access cut off as the Kremlin steps up testing of systems designed to limit access to information online. People in Moscow, home to roughly 13 million people, have found themselves unable to pay online bills, message co-workers or book taxis in recent days.

Elsewhere, those unfamiliar with the streets of the Russian capital have been forced to ask strangers for directions after being unable to access online maps, while remote workers have filled cafes in a desperate bid to find a stable Wi-Fi connection. This has been the case in regions across Russia for several months, with the Kremlin defending the shut-offs as necessary to protect Russians from attacks by Ukrainian drones, which can use local cellphone towers for navigation. However, analysts have claimed this is actually the trial of a nationwide system Moscow has been honing to limit information and hamper connectivity in times of upheaval, inspired by lessons from authoritarian countries like Iran.

“This is a system they have wanted to build for years. Now the threat of Ukrainian drones is a perfect chance to test it nationwide,” said Alena Epifanova, an expert on Russia’s internet from the German Council on Foreign Relations, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. “They use it as a pretext, even in regions where there is no such danger.”

Russia has been testing a system that Iran used as it sought to suppress the protests in January, with regime insiders and VIPs able to maintain connections via so-called white SIM cards. The Kremlin has also established a white list of government-approved sites that remain accessible during shut-offs, including government portals, state media outlets, and Russian homegrown apps such as Max, a messaging platform controlled by Vladimir Putin’s government.

Moscow has been the latest city hit by a shutdown, which has significantly disrupted daily routines and businesses.

Messaging apps, including WhatsApp and Telegram, have also been targeted in the shut-off, with government institutions, including schools, forced to use Max instead, which tech experts say lacks encryption and can be easily monitored. Jonny Tickle, a British national living in Moscow, said in the centre of Moscow, right by the Kremlin, “you can’t send a WhatsApp message”.

In some regions, Russians’ health has been put at serious risk. Pharmacies have been forced to close after their medicine-tracking systems went offline, while diabetic children’s sensors have been unable to transmit glucose levels to parents and warn them in emergencies. People are unable to book doctors’ appointments and order medication online.

“This is creating a lot of problems,” said Anastasia Kuznetsova, a mother of two living in St. Petersburg, which has also suffered from outages. “In shops, delivery services, taxis and other basic services.”

Ulyana Sedysheva, a mother of two from the suburbs of Ulyanovsk, said during recent power outages that she was unable to pay her bills and struggled to fulfil customer orders for her online business, while her children couldn’t access online school materials for their homework.

On Wednesday (March 11), the Kremlin defended the latest shut-offs in Moscow but didn’t give a reason for them. “Citizens should have no doubt that the main thing here is to ensure security,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.