YouTube has disappeared from the Russian Internet. Regulatory body Roskomnadzor has removed the domain "youtube.com" from its DNS servers. When accessing the video platform from Russia, routers cannot match the website address to the user's IP address and send an error message. The WhatsApp domain also disappeared from Roskomnadzor's DNS servers. It coincides with the Russian authorities' current campaign against the Telegram messaging app. Experts believe that Roskomnadzor is increasingly targeting services that are beyond its direct control, he reports Deutsche says.
To clarify: DNS (Domain Name System) servers function like the internet's phone book, while IP addresses are numerical labels that allow computers, smartphones, and routers to be reached and identified. If the communication between a DNS server and an IP address is blocked, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can help by establishing an encrypted connection between your device and the server. This allows you to bypass geoblocks and browse anonymously.
DW spoke to experts and internet users about ways to bypass Russian blocks, and anonymously surveyed 9.000 users about their problems with YouTube in Russia. Of these, 46 percent said they use the video platform via a VPN, 24 percent reported persistent connection problems despite using a VPN, a further 27 percent said they did not live in Russia, while three percent said they did not use a VPN and had experienced problems.
Changes in access to sites
Michael Klimarev, an expert on internet censorship, stated on the Telegram channel "zatelecom" that Roskomnadzor's DNS servers should actually be called NDNS, i.e. "National Domain Name System". He describes it as a software-hardware system introduced in Russia along with the "sovereign Russian Internet" law. "Essentially, it is an alternative 'internet directory' that Russian telecommunication operators must use," Klimarev points out. According to the law, Russian providers are not allowed to use international directories, but exclusively NDNS, which enables centralized control of access to sites.
According to the information of the "na_svyazi" Telegram channel, 13 domains were recently removed from NDNS, among them the domains of DW, BBC, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Facebook and Instagram. Until now, Roskomnadzor primarily used DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) technology to restrict access, which allowed it to analyze and filter Internet traffic. DPI can also reduce the data transfer rate, which for users in Russia means slow or completely disabled loading of YouTube video content. Although the service was technically available, it functioned with difficulty and intermittently.
Independent telecommunications expert Alexey Uchakin assessed for the Russian business portal RBC that Roskomnadzor's capacity to slow down data transmission could be limited. That is why, according to him, the authorities have resorted to stricter blocking in order to free up resources for blocking Telegram.
What do YouTube users say?
In comments on DW's YouTube channel, users report a decline in access quality. Even with a VPN, the slowdown and instability are noticeable," wrote one user. Another points out that "YouTube is harder to watch," but thinks the problem is not the platform itself, but the VPN, as it uses free versions. A third states that he never turns off the VPN on his laptop "because nothing works anymore without it."
At the same time, many complain that VPN services are not reliable either. Comments suggest that the cause could be limits imposed by VPN providers or ad blockers.
What is happening with the internet in Russia?
Experts estimate that the blocking of YouTube and Vocap is related to the current pressure on Telegram. Roskomnadzor has officially confirmed service restrictions for this platform, explaining them as a "violation of Russian law" and a "threat to the safety of citizens." A court in Moscow charges Telegram with not removing prohibited content and failing to fulfill "obligations of social network operators". The company has already been fined almost 11 million rubles (about 120.000 euros).
Experts warn that these events could lead to the formation of a separate Russian Internet segment, which will be less and less aligned with the global network. In that case, the Internet in the Russian Federation could gradually move away from the rest of the world.
