Rostelecom says backups restored internet in four Russian regions

Rostelecom says backup channels restored connectivity after fibre-optic cable damage disrupted service in Russia’s Far East on September 19, 2026. Cloudflare, the sole source for this account, relayed the operator’s statement in its October 27 quarterly review. The review identifies disruptions in Chukotka, Magadan Oblast, Kamchatka Krai and Sakhalin Oblast.

Rostelecom connects local operators’ networks into a national network for long-distance service. That role places the company in the infrastructure carrying traffic between networks and regions.

Rostelecom said backbone fibre lines—the main cables carrying traffic across the network—were deliberately damaged, and that connectivity was restored using backup channels.

What the traffic observations show

Cloudflare Radar, the company’s traffic-monitoring service, observes disruptions by tracking traffic to Cloudflare customers. Those measurements cover that traffic, rather than every internet user or service in the affected regions. The scale and duration of the disruption in each region remain unclear.

Cloudflare says the disruption occurred during nationwide elections in Russia, but says Radar data alone cannot determine whether the cable damage was related to the elections. Any effect on voting remains unclear.

The restoration statement concerns access through backup channels. It remains unclear whether the damaged lines have been repaired.