St Petersburg sees widespread internet outage, residents say

Residents of St Petersburg have reported widespread problems with internet access, saying the service is barely functioning across the city.

Users have also reported disruptions affecting so-called white lists, while more than 100 complaints have been submitted within two hours. The City Parking Management Centre said internet-based parking payments were also experiencing problems in central St Petersburg, according to Ostorozhno Novosti news portal.

Several roads in the city centre have been closed to traffic. The restrictions affect Universitetskaya Embankment between Palace Bridge and Kadetskaya Line, as well as Konnogvardeysky Boulevard and Galernaya Street. Traffic congestion is expected to worsen by around 6 p.m.

Earlier, presidential adviser Elena Yampolskaya said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would visit the 12th International Forum of United Cultures in St Petersburg on Friday and attend one of its sessions.

However, the forum's business programme does not include a plenary session featuring the president.

By Tamilla Hasanova