Translated with AI
The Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media is proposing a "cooling-off period" for foreign SIM cards, during which their mobile internet access while roaming will be disabled for several hours after entering the country. Maksut Shadayev, Minister of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media, announced this to journalists.
"We agreed that foreign SIM cards will be subject to a cooling-off period for a certain period of time after entering Russia and will not be able to use mobile internet services," Shadayev said Thursday at the Digital Evolution forum.
The minister clarified that a five-hour period during which foreign SIM cards will be inactive is currently under discussion. This measure is aimed at improving security and combating the use of SIM cards in drones and other devices.
At the same time, plans are underway to introduce mandatory Captcha verification for foreign citizens using mobile services in Russia—a tool to verify that services are being ordered by real people. "We'll create a Captcha for foreign citizens so they can access popular services like taxi booking and others," Shadayev explained.
Currently, these proposals are being submitted to the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) for approval.
