{"id":876,"date":"2026-04-23T04:24:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T08:24:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jakony.com\/frontpage\/?p=876"},"modified":"2026-04-23T04:24:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T08:24:36","slug":"russian-internet-shutdown-hints-at-unpopular-mobilisation-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jakony.com\/frontpage\/video\/russian-internet-shutdown-hints-at-unpopular-mobilisation-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian Internet Shutdown Hints at Unpopular Mobilisation Drive"},"content":{"rendered":"

(LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM)<\/strong> – Investor and human rights campaigner Sir William Browder has warned that the Russian dictator’s recent decision to shut down mobile internet in Moscow and St Petersburg may signal preparations for a deeply unpopular general conscription, a move that could trigger a popular uprising.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Times Radio’s Frontline programme, Browder said the internet shutdown affects “everybody every day in every possible way.” He stated: “I mean, everybody has completely gotten used to the internet. And in doing so, you’d have to have a pretty good reason to do that.” Browder offered two possible explanations for the move.<\/p>\n

“One is that he’s afraid of being targeted himself and thinking that the mobile internet can be used to target him, which is how they got the senior Khamenei in Iran. And the second explanation is that they’re going to do something very unpopular like a general conscription and they don’t want people all communicating with each other about how angry they are and then using that as a way to rise up.”<\/p>\n

Browder, who was once the largest foreign investor in Russia before being blacklisted by the Kremlin, assessed that Ukraine’s current strategy of targeting Russian energy infrastructure is proving effective. He said Ukrainian forces have already hit approximately 40 percent of Russia’s oil export capacity. “They should hit 100 percent of it. They should absolutely destroy Russia’s ability to generate hard currency for their war because if Putin doesn’t have the money then he’ll have to step back,” Browder argued.<\/p>\n

He noted that Ukraine had systematically degraded Russian air defences before commencing the strikes on energy facilities. “Russia just can’t defend themselves against these drone attacks and they need to do it quickly because Russia’s response to this is to hit electricity and gas and heating plants in Ukraine.”<\/p>\n

Browder cautioned that while Ukraine’s energy infrastructure attacks are less critical during warm weather, the coming winter presents a significant vulnerability. “That’s the kind of thing that could wear the Ukrainians down pretty quickly if everyone’s freezing in their apartments. And so if the Ukrainians can continue to hit Russian economic targets over the summer and eliminate their ability to export oil, at that point Putin pretty much has no choice but to negotiate.”<\/p>\n

Addressing the question of whether any figures within the Russian dictator’s inner circle might challenge his decision making, Browder was unequivocal. “There’s nobody among the oligarchs and nobody in his inner circle that will peep a word of dissent. It’s a complete yes man dictatorship all around him.”<\/p>\n

He added: “Anyone close to Putin is not going to say a word because they all understand that that’s not allowed and their position of privilege, their position of money, all that can be taken away in an absolute heartbeat and they could find themselves in jail or dead.”<\/p>\n

Browder identified the Russian population, rather than the elite, as the only potential domestic threat to the Kremlin’s grip on power. “The only way that Putin changes his way from internal politics is if the people of Russia decide enough is enough and they’re angrier than they are scared and they rise up.”<\/p>\n

He contrasted the vulnerability of opposition figures with the power of mass mobilisation. “He can kill Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner group that had been marching on Moscow. He can kill Alexei Navalny, the head of the Russian opposition. But he can’t kill a million people marching on Red Square.”<\/p>\n

Browder pointed to a range of mounting pressures on ordinary Russians, including the shutdown of the Telegram messaging app, soaring inflation, and what he described as “talk about nationalising bank deposits and using that money to support the war.” He added: “And there’s even talk about a general conscription because they’re running out of soldiers because Ukrainians are killing so many on a daily basis. And if those things start to happen, then the mood could change very quickly.”<\/p>\n

When asked why the Kremlin would restrict internet access if the domestic situation were stable, Browder returned to the conscription hypothesis. “Why would they turn off the internet in Moscow and St. Petersburg if everything was going so rosy and everyone was so happy? I mean that’s a pretty extreme move to take.” He noted the linguistic contortions the regime has employed to insulate the public.<\/p>\n

“Putin’s main goal when he started this war was to try to insulate the most important people in the country from the war. And they didn’t even call it a war. They called it a special military operation. They specifically didn’t want to use the word war because a war involves everybody. A war affects everybody. But a special military operation, well, that’s something off in the distance somewhere that doesn’t affect everybody. But the moment you turn off the internet, that affects everybody every day in every possible way.”<\/p>\n

Browder acknowledged the difficulty of accurately gauging public sentiment inside Russia. “I don’t know anybody in Russia who can honestly tell me what’s going on. But I don’t think it’s such a rosy picture that it’s all fine and good for most people. I think it’s actually pretty disastrous for most people and then the question is how do you take the temperature of that anger?”<\/p>\n

Turning to the international dimension, Browder observed that the Russian dictator’s network of autocratic allies is crumbling. “He used to be this projecting huge international power. And all of a sudden these guys are falling one after the other and there’s not a damn thing that Vladimir Putin can do about it.”<\/p>\n

He cited the losses of Bashar al Assad in Syria and Nicol\u00e1s Maduro in Venezuela, as well as instability in Iran. Despite these setbacks, Browder cautioned against underestimating the Kremlin’s capacity to wait out unfavourable circumstances. “He doesn’t operate in a democracy. And he can wait it out. He can wait out international opinion. He can wait out his reputation of being weak and hopeless for his allies and then step into whatever situation he wants to step into.”<\/p>\n

On the subject of US President Donald Trump, Browder rejected suggestions that American policy is strategically weakening the Russian dictator.<\/p>\n

“Trump has got his own agenda. Some of his agenda helps Putin a lot. The main part of his agenda is that he likes Putin. He supports Putin. He doesn’t like Zelenskyy. He doesn’t support Zelenskyy. He’s cut off Ukraine. Putin likes that a lot.” Browder added: “Putin gets a lot more benefit from Trump’s warmth directly as it relates to Ukraine and Russia than he gets taken away from losing a few allies here and there.”<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to the next three to twelve months, Browder predicted a continued stalemate on the front lines. “Russia will make no more progress in terms of territorial gains on the front line. Ukrainians have figured out how to stop that in its tracks. Russia loses between 1,000 and 1,500 men a day.” He said he does not expect the Russian dictator to negotiate in the near term. “I think he’s just going to continue putting more resources into it, diverting resources from other areas to continue this fight.”<\/p>\n

Browder concluded with an assessment of Ukraine’s resilience. “Of course, this is not a war the Ukrainians want to fight, but they have to fight this war because the only choice is either capitulation and disaster under Russian occupation or fighting back.<\/p>\n

And it really is admirable how well the Ukrainians have fought. I think they’ve taught lessons to all of us about how an apparently weaker power can ward off a a supposed military superpower using ingenuity, new technology and an absolute determination to secure their homeland.”<\/p>\n