Russia has rerouted internet traffic to the occupied Ukrainian region Kherson via Russian communications infrastructure, NetBlocks, an internet service disruption monitor, has said.
This move was a way to tighten Moscow's control over a region it claims has been under its full control. Russia-appointed officials in Kherson said that the region would begin using the Russian ruble on May 1.
NetBlocks, a London-based company, said that it had detected a near-total blackout in the Kherson region on Saturday. This affected several Ukrainian providers. Although the connection was restored within hours, various metrics indicated that traffic was now flowing through Russia.
NetBlocks stated on its website that "Connectivity to the network was routed through Russia's internet rather than Ukrainian telecoms infrastructure"
The British Ministry of Defence stated on Sunday that Russian actions in the area are likely to indicate Russian intent to exercise strong political and economic control in Kherson in the long-term.
It referred to statements regarding the use of roubles and rejected suggestions of the possibility that the region would be returned to Ukraine.
Kirill Stremousov (the deputy head of Russia's "civil-military region administration" of Kherson) told Russia's RIA news agency that a four month window in which both Russia's hryvnia or Russia's rouble would be available for circulation would begin on May 1.
Although Ukraine acknowledges that it has lost control of the majority Kherson region, which includes the eponymous capital, its armed forces are rebuffing Russian attempts to enter the province's borders.
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