A new report reveals a concerning pattern in Myanmar, where airstrikes and intentional internet blackouts are occurring simultaneously, leaving civilians at extreme risk.
According to the Myanmar Internet Project (MIP), the military junta carried out airstrikes in 123 townships over a six-month period from February to July 2025. Crucially, internet access was cut off in 115 of those townships—over 93% of the areas under attack.
The report, titled “Communication Blackouts During Airstrikes,” details 645 airstrikes across nearly every state and region. Townships in Sagaing Region, Shan State, and Rakhine State were among the hardest hit.
This strategy of cutting communications during aerial bombardments has had devastating consequences. MIP states that at least 1,000 civilians have been killed in the airstrikes, with over 96% of those deaths occurring in areas where internet and phone access were severed. The report concludes that civilians in these blackout zones are at a significantly higher risk of death.
Beyond the tragic loss of life, the airstrikes have destroyed thousands of homes and damaged critical infrastructure, including at least 83 religious buildings, 50 schools, and 19 hospitals and clinics. The MIP has called on international organizations to provide communication equipment to vulnerable communities and to pressure the military to end the practice of cutting off access.
Myanmar is already one of the world’s worst offenders for internet shutdowns, a status that exacerbates the dangers for civilians caught in conflict zones.
