How to Track and Analyze Internet Disruptions Using Cloudflare Radar: A Q1 2026 Case Study

Overview

Internet disruptions can arise from a variety of causes—government actions, power outages, military conflicts, severe weather, cable damage, or technical faults. Understanding how to monitor and analyze these events is crucial for network operators, researchers, and digital rights advocates. This tutorial uses real-world examples from Q1 2026—including extended shutdowns in Uganda and Iran, repeated grid collapses in Cuba, and conflict-related outages in Ukraine—to guide you through the process of tracking disruptions using Cloudflare Radar. By the end, you'll be able to navigate traffic graphs, distinguish between types of outages, and interpret key metrics.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• Basic familiarity with internet protocols (TCP/IP, HTTP/HTTPS).
• Access to a web browser to explore Cloudflare Radar (no account required).
• Optional: Knowledge of network traffic metrics (bytes vs. requests).

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Access Cloudflare Radar and Understand the Dashboard

Navigate to radar.cloudflare.com. The main dashboard shows a world map with real-time traffic anomalies. Click on any country to view detailed graphs. Two primary metrics are used:

• Bytes-based traffic (bandwidth usage) – ideal for detecting large-scale shutdowns.
• Requests-based traffic (HTTP/S requests) – better for pinpointing sudden spikes or drops in user activity.

For disruption analysis, you'll often compare both. See Common Mistakes on misinterpretation.

2. Identify Government-Directed Shutdowns: Uganda Example

Government-ordered internet blackouts are often the most dramatic. In January 2026, Uganda shut down the internet ahead of its presidential election. To replicate the analysis:

1. On Cloudflare Radar, search for Uganda.
2. Set the time range to January 13–17, 2026.
3. Observe the traffic drop from ~72 Gbps to ~1 Gbps at the Uganda Internet Exchange Point (UIXP) starting at 15:00 UTC on January 13.
4. Note the near-complete loss of traffic, remaining near zero until 20:00 UTC on January 17.

This pattern—abrupt and sustained drop—clearly indicates a deliberate shutdown. The restoration was partial after the incumbent president was declared winner, with full connectivity returning on January 26.

3. Recognize Power Outage Disruptions: Cuba’s Grid Collapse

During Q1 2026, Cuba experienced three separate collapses of its national electrical grid. Power outages cause internet connectivity to drop gradually rather than all at once (as generators fail). Using Cloudflare Radar:

• Select Cuba and look for traffic declining over minutes to hours, not seconds.
• Each collapse shows a steep but not instantaneous drop, often followed by a slow recovery as power is restored.

Compare with a government shutdown: the gradient matters. Hint: If the drop matches local grid outage news, it's likely power-related.

4. Detect Military Conflict Effects: Ukraine and Middle East

Ongoing conflicts can disrupt both local networks and hyperscaler cloud infrastructure. For Ukraine in Q1 2026:

• Filter traffic by region (e.g., Kyiv) and observe intermittent dips corresponding to missile strikes or shelling.
• In the Middle East, attacks on undersea cables or data centers caused traffic anomalies in adjacent countries.

Use the Outage Center (available from the main menu) to see a curated list of confirmed disruptions—many are attributed to military action.

5. Observe Weather and Cable Damage: Portugal and Republic of Congo

Severe weather can knock out power and connectivity, as seen in Portugal. Cable damage, like in the Republic of Congo, often affects specific subregions. To differentiate:

• Weather: Traffic drops are regional and correlate with storm warnings.
• Cable cut: Drops are localized to areas served by that cable; traffic may reroute through other paths.

Use Cloudflare Radar’s geographic drilldown to see city-level data. A cable cut typically shows a sharp decline in one area while neighboring regions remain stable.

6. Evaluate Technical Problems: Verizon Wireless and Others

Not all disruptions are external. Verizon Wireless experienced a technical issue in the United States in Q1 2026, causing mobile data outages. On Cloudflare Radar:

• Look for temporary drops in traffic from US mobile IP ranges.
• Contrast with domestic fixed-line traffic, which remained unaffected.

Similarly, unknown issues briefly affected Guinea and the United Kingdom. Use the Traffic Anomalies feed to see events with durations under a few hours.

Common Mistakes

• Confusing metric types: Using requests-based traffic for a bandwidth-heavy shutdown can miss the signal. Always check both bytes and requests.
• Ignoring local news and time zones: A drop at 3 AM local might be routine maintenance. Context from local reports is essential.
• Overlooking partial outages: A 50% drop may indicate mobile-only disruption. Cross-check with provider status.
• Assuming causality: Correlation with a news event does not prove causation. Use multiple sources.

Summary

Tracking internet disruptions requires systematic observation of traffic patterns and contextual knowledge. Using Cloudflare Radar, you can distinguish between government shutdowns (abrupt, sustained), power outages (gradual), military attacks (intermittent), cable cuts (localized), and technical issues (brief). The Q1 2026 data points—from Uganda’s election shutdown to Cuba’s grid failures—provide real-world practice in analysis. For further exploration, bookmark the Cloudflare Radar Outage Center.