Russia sets up free landline phones in occupied Crimea amid mobile outages

Authorities in Russian-annexed Crimea have begun installing outdoor landline phones in public spaces that allow residents to call emergency services.

So far, such phones have been announced in the cities of Yevpatoria, Armiansk, and Dzhankoi. “The presence of a landline phone is especially important amid disruptions in mobile network service,” occupation officials in Yevpatoria told state media.

Last week, Russian-installed authorities in Dzhankoi announced that phone service would start being available for only eight hours a day, though they later deleted the announcement.

Occupation authorities in Crimea previously announced that “emergency call points” would be installed in areas with unstable mobile coverage. They also said they planned to increase the number of mobile phone towers equipped with backup generators. 

The Ukrainian military has increasingly targeted Crimea’s electricity infrastructure in recent weeks, causing blackouts in some areas that have lasted for days.