Regional shutdown
Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Odessa, Dnipropetrovs'k, Guerrero, Kirovohrad
Internet connectivity was reduced in several Ukraine districts on 9 March. The drop in connectivity coincided with a reported "unprecedented array of missile" attack by Russian forces, targeting critical infrastructure and causing wide-scale power outages. Internet shutdowns caused by foreign government attacks impact citizens' ability to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country or other countries.
- Total Duration 2 days, 6 hours
Ukraine
- Population
- 37,860,221
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Partly Free
Local impact
Internet connectivity was reduced in several Ukraine districts on 9 March. The drop in connectivity coincided with a reported "unprecedented array of missile" attack by Russian forces, targeting critical infrastructure and causing wide-scale power outages. Internet shutdowns caused by foreign government attacks impact citizens' ability to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country or other countries.
Related documentation
No official cause documentation was made public.
Other supporting information
IODA data shows a drop in Internet connectivity in several regions in Ukraine on 9 March from 00:30 UTC.
Kharkiv experienced the longest reduction, with connectivity not returning to normal until after 7:00 UTC on 11 March.
Cloudflare Radar reported similar observations.
#Ukraine — Internet traffic was disrupted in several regions in this early morning, after news of missile strikes on critical infrastructure targets. Kharkiv (-54% traffic, compared with previous week) and Zhytomyr (with -24%) are still impacted at 11:30 UTC.
— Cloudflare Radar (@CloudflareRadar) March 9, 2023
👇 pic.twitter.com/cN3jSIFsr8
Note: It’s difficult to measure the effect of local/regional Internet shutdowns as most measurements are done at a country level. Learn more
Social media
Missile strikes on Ukraine have caused a disruption to Internet connectivity in various Oblasts. IODA shows Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Odessa, Mykolayiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovs'k, Poltova, and Kherson as the most affected. Visit IODA's regional outage map:https://t.co/3SQFgiahzV pic.twitter.com/2pQYfhM2j4— IODA (@IODA_live) March 9, 2023
The situation with electricity in Kharkiv remains critical tonight. A city of a million people plunged into darkness after massive Russian missile strike from Belgorod with more than a dozen S300 missiles. pic.twitter.com/GH9ZnTGT97
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) March 9, 2023
No power, internet, heat or water in my home in #Kharkiv still, 15 hours after hits. I am writing from a Kazakh yurta - point of invincibility. pic.twitter.com/FoovMSKa1e
— NatalieZubar🇺🇦 (@NatalieZubar) March 9, 2023
Media coverage
The situation with electricity in Kharkiv remains critical tonight. A city of a million people plunged into darkness after massive Russian missile strike from Belgorod with more than a dozen S300 missiles. pic.twitter.com/GH9ZnTGT97
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) March 9, 2023
No power, internet, heat or water in my home in #Kharkiv still, 15 hours after hits. I am writing from a Kazakh yurta - point of invincibility. pic.twitter.com/FoovMSKa1e
— NatalieZubar🇺🇦 (@NatalieZubar) March 9, 2023