In Russia, the blocking of SIM cards of arrivals from abroad, including Russians, has begun.

Russian telecom operators have launched a mechanism to provide protection against drones in Russia. This was announced today, November 10, according to the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation.

Now, when crossing the border of the Russian Federation, you need to verify the SIM card to confirm that it is not used in the UAV. Before that, it will be blocked without access to the Internet and SMS. SIM cards of citizens of the Russian Federation will also need to be "confirmed", or wait 24 hours and the card will work on its own - the ministry called it a "cooling period".

The measure will take effect not only when returning from abroad, but also if the SIM card has not worked for 72 hours. The project is being implemented in test mode from today, November 10. An alert will come from the telecom operator with instructions on how to remove the lock.

"You can do this at any time by logging in using the captcha link that the operator will send. After that, access to the Internet and SMS will be restored. It is also possible to call the call center and remove restrictions by completing identification by phone. You can find out more about unblocking from your operator," the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation points out.

Innovations are aimed at ensuring the safety of Russian citizens. SIM cards with mobile internet can be inside enemy UAVs and used for their navigation. Temporary lockdowns will increase protection against drones, the ministry is confident.