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Blocked 31
Every network we test in Russia fails to open these, twice, while they open elsewhere. Most often, the secure connection stalls.
- Amnesty InternationalRights & petitions
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- BBCNews
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The name doesn’t resolve on Rostelecom and MTS.
- BlueskySocial media
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- DiscordMessaging & calls
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on MTS.
- DWNews
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- ExpressVPNVPNs & privacy tools
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- FacebookSocial media
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- GrindrSocial media
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The name doesn’t resolve on Rostelecom and MTS.
- Human Rights WatchRights & petitions
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- InstagramSocial media
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The connection never completes on Rostelecom and MTS.
- LINEMessaging & calls
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The name doesn’t resolve on Rostelecom and MTS.
- LinkedInSocial media
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The name doesn’t resolve on MTS.
- MediumSearch & web tools
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- MeduzaNews
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- MessengerMessaging & calls
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- MullvadVPNs & privacy tools
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The name doesn’t resolve on Rostelecom and MTS.
- NordVPNVPNs & privacy tools
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- Proton MailVPNs & privacy tools
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- Proton VPNVPNs & privacy tools
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- PsiphonVPNs & privacy tools
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- Radio Free EuropeNews
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The name doesn’t resolve on Rostelecom and MTS.
- SnapchatSocial media
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on MTS.
- SoundCloudVideo & music
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- SurfsharkVPNs & privacy tools
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- TelegramMessaging & calls
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The connection never completes on Rostelecom and MTS.
- ThreadsSocial media
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- Tor ProjectVPNs & privacy tools
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- ViberMessaging & calls
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The secure connection stalls on Rostelecom and MTS.
- WhatsAppMessaging & calls
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The connection never completes on Rostelecom and MTS.
- X (Twitter)Social media
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The connection stalls once it opens on Rostelecom and MTS.
- YouTubeVideo & music
First observed on 1 Oct 2026
The secure connection stalls on MTS.
Turned away by the site 5
These sites answer visitors from Russia with “forbidden” (HTTP 403) themselves. That’s the site’s choice, not a block by Russia.
- ChatGPTAI chatbots
First observed on 1 Oct 2026
The site answers “forbidden” (HTTP 403) on Rostelecom and MTS.
- ClaudeAI chatbots
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The site sends visitors to a “not available here” page on Rostelecom and MTS.
- CopilotAI chatbots
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The site answers “forbidden” (HTTP 403) on Rostelecom and MTS.
- GrokAI chatbots
First observed on 30 Sep 2026
The site answers “forbidden” (HTTP 403) on Rostelecom and MTS.
- NetflixVideo & music
First observed on 29 Sep 2026
The site answers “forbidden” (HTTP 403) on Rostelecom and MTS.
Opens 31
Background
Internet censorship in Russia
Roskomnadzor, the communications regulator, enforces blocks, both its own and those ordered by courts or the Prosecutor General’s Office. Under a 2019 “sovereign internet” law every internet provider has to install state-controlled filtering equipment, run by Roskomnadzor, that can block, slow or cut traffic. In February 2026 at least 13 sites, YouTube, WhatsApp and Facebook among them, also vanished from the national DNS that providers must use, and a new law let the FSB security service order internet and phone connections cut without a court order.
The biggest wave came with the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine: Roskomnadzor blocked Facebook and Twitter in early March 2022 and Instagram on 14 March, and a Moscow court then banned Meta’s Facebook and Instagram as “extremist”. LinkedIn had been blocked since November 2016 for not storing Russian users’ data in Russia. In 2024 Roskomnadzor blocked Signal, Discord and Viber, YouTube was throttled from July, and the government said it would block 81 European media outlets.
In 2025 and 2026 the biggest targets were messaging apps. Roskomnadzor restricted WhatsApp and Telegram calls in August 2025, citing fraud and terrorism, and blocked WhatsApp outright in February 2026, when it also began restricting Telegram, which was nearly unusable without a VPN by March. Max, the state-backed messenger that critics call a possible surveillance tool, has had to come pre-installed on phones and tablets sold in Russia since September 2025.
Mobile internet has been switched off region by region since May 2025, officially to stop Ukrainian drones, with only a government whitelist of sites and apps working during cuts since September 2025; central Moscow lost mobile internet for nearly three weeks in March 2026. Deliberately searching for officially “extremist” material has been punishable by fines since September 2025, and in April 2026 big Russian services such as Yandex, Ozon and the Gosuslugi state portal began turning away users on a VPN.
Are VPNs legal in Russia?
Using a VPN isn’t illegal in Russia: a 2017 law bars VPN services that open banned sites, not the people who use them, and Roskomnadzor said in February 2026 it had blocked 469 such services. Advertising VPNs has been banned since March 2024 and punishable by fines since September 2025.
Key dates
- Big Russian services, including Yandex, Ozon and the Gosuslugi state portal, start turning away users connected through a VPN, at the digital ministry’s demand.
- Telegram becomes nearly impossible to use without a VPN, weeks after Roskomnadzor announced new restrictions on it.
- Roskomnadzor blocks WhatsApp, six months after restricting its calls; the Kremlin confirms the block on 12 February.
- Fines for deliberately searching for “extremist” material, and for advertising VPNs, take effect.
- Mobile internet shutdowns begin spreading across Russia’s regions, officially to stop Ukrainian drones from using the networks.
- Eight days after the invasion of Ukraine, Roskomnadzor blocks Facebook and Twitter.
Get past a block
Blocked in Russia?
A VPN connects you through a server in another country, so the blocks in Russia no longer apply. Where VPNs themselves are blocked, you need one that can disguise its traffic.
Using a VPN isn’t illegal in Russia, but VPN providers that won’t cooperate with the government are blocked.
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History
Changes in Russia
No confirmed changes since monitoring began on 29 Sep 2026. When a block appears or lifts, and a re-check on several machines agrees, it shows up here.
Method
How we test
- Test machines on Rostelecom and MTS home connections open each site’s homepage every day.
- A failure counts only when it happens twice on the same network, while the site opens from other countries.
- A change is published only after a re-check a few hours later, on several machines per provider, confirms it. It’s dated from the first sighting.
- Test machines caught getting around blocks, through a VPN or a filter-dodging tool, are set aside.
- We test websites over home broadband. Apps, calls and mobile networks can behave differently.
Questions
Censorship in Russia: questions
Is X (Twitter) Blocked in Russia?
Yes. Roskomnadzor blocked Twitter across Russia on 4 March 2022, citing a demand from the Prosecutor General’s Office dated 24 February, the day Russia invaded Ukraine. No unblocking has been announced since, and x.com still failed most independent tests from Russian networks in September and October 2026.
Is Wikipedia Blocked in Russia?
Not formally. Its Russian-language edition still operates, though Roskomnadzor has fined Wikipedia several times for refusing to delete articles about the war in Ukraine. On 28 August 2026 Russian users lost access for several hours before it returned; Roskomnadzor didn’t comment on the outage.
Does ChatGPT Work in Russia?
Not officially. Russia is missing from OpenAI’s list of supported countries and territories, along with Belarus and Iran, so OpenAI doesn’t offer ChatGPT there. Russia itself hasn’t blocked the site: independent tests in September and October 2026 reached chatgpt.com normally from Russian networks.