Internet shut down across Russia in chilling echo of Iranian crackdown – sparking rumours an anti-Putin coup is imminent

AN INTERNET black out sweeping across Russia has sparked rumours an anti-Putin coup is imminent in a chilling echo of Iran’s crackdown.

Paranoid Vladimir Putin pushed through laws to allow the paralysis of mobile internet, broadband, landlines and “any other means of communication” in Russia.

In Moscow, the siege is particularly focused around key security and military facilities suspected of conniving in an extraordinary plot to oust the dictator.

Mobile internet outages were also reported in St Petersburg on Monday, with residents unable to access messaging apps, websites and online banking.

Putin’s spokesman Dmity Peskov said the outage was to ensure “security” – while refusing to explain the specific threat. 

But the move comes amid circulating rumours of a power-challenge by Putin’s most senior security council official Sergei Shoigu.

Nationwide internet blackouts have been repeatedly used by the tyrannical Iranian regime to silence protesters by blocking information leaving and entering the country.

The unconfirmed theory of the coup was aired by channel VChK-OGPU which has links to the secret services.

Shoigu, 70, was fired in May 2024 as defence minister in charge of the war in Ukraine and installed as secretary of the Kremlin’s security council.

He is the longest serving senior official in the Russian government – first appointed in 1991 and serving more years even than the dictator.

Once Putin’s close ally, the pairs relations have become strained after a succession of Shoigu’s allies were purged, arrested and jailed for corruption and embezzlement.

The latest was ex-deputy defence minister Ruslan Tsalikov, 69, suspected of embezzling an eye-watering fortune of almost £50million in family assets.

Shoigu has not been seen or quoted since 5 March, when the online communications block started, even though he would be expected to lead Russia’s response to the crisis in the Middle East.

“The Kremlin fears a coup attempt by Sergei Shoigu’s clan,” VChK-OGPU said.

VChK-OGPU cited a source saying the restrictions “suspiciously coincided” with the launch of an investigation into “the closest people to Shoigu and himself”.

Adding: “The attempt to send Tsalikov, the ex-Minister of Defence’s closest friend and associate, to Lefortovo [prison] was accompanied by some kind of insane struggle at the top.

“The next one after Tsalikov could only be Shoigu himself.”

The source claimed the internet block included the Lubyanka headquarters of the FSB security service, the Russian Presidential Administration, the Security Council, and Moscow-City VIP skyscraper district.

Special forces units of the Ministry of Defence and the FSB were also reportedly blocked.

“Such restrictions could only be caused by very serious reasons, given that there have been no serious drone attacks on Moscow these days”, VChK-OGPU added.

Communications were jammed in June 2023 when former Putin crony Yevgeny Prigozhin led a failed coup bid.

Two weeks ago, Putin signed a controversial sweeping law allowing the FSB to block electronic communications “for security reasons” without explaining why they were doing so.

It comes after Putin threw his weight behind the Iranian regime in its war against the US and Israel.

The pathetic dictator is supplying what’s left of the blitzed regime with information on US military assets to support its strikes.

One source said the intel-sharing “appears to be a fairly comprehensive effort”.