List of Websites Blocked in Russia

List of Websites Blocked in Russia: According to the digital rights organization Roskomsvoboda, the Russian government blocked over 247,000 web pages in 2022. The Russian government defends its actions and also uses deep packet inspection technology to block the sites. They run a filtering process over the internet, throttle certain connections, and block websites permanently or temporarily.

In this article, we are going to discuss the Websites Blocked in Russia and the Internet censorship in Russia in detail.

List of Websites Blocked in Russia

In Russia, website blocking is unpredictable. Some websites face threats of being blocked for years before being shut down suddenly overnight. In Russia, certain websites are penalized while others are not. Here we have mentioned some websites that are blocked in Russia. In this table, we have mentioned the reasons but some reasons are still unknown.

List of Websites Blocked in Russia (2004 -2024)
Website Name	Domain	Reason	Block Year	Responsible Organization
Kavkaz Center	kavkazcenter.com	Supports creation of Sharia state; hosts terrorist attack videos	2004, 2006	Russia, pressured Lithuania and Sweden
ru_auto	Various	Repeated posts about protests worsened attitudes	2008	FSB
Yota	Various	Blocked access to opposition websites	2009	Chief prosecutor of St. Petersburg
Wikipedia	en.wikipedia.org	Blacklisted articles	2012	Roskomnadzor
Lurkmore.to	Lurkmore.to	Blacklisted by Federal Drug Control Service	2012	Federal Drug Control Service
Librusec	Various	Description of marijuana soup in Anarchist Cookbook	2012	Roskomnadzor
LiveJournal, Kasparov.ru, Grani.ru	Various	Calls for unlawful activity	2014	Russian Government
jw.org	jw.org	Banned by Supreme Court	2014	Supreme Court of the Russian Federation
Glavnoe.ua	Glavnoe.ua	Ukrainian news site blocked	2014	Roskomnadzor
Monstration	Various	Media blackout for comparison to Euromaidan	2014	Roskomnadzor
Wayback Machine, Zapretno.info	archive.org	Blocked Wayback Machine and sites listing blocked	2014	Roskomnadzor
GitHub	github.com	Temporarily blocked for satirical suicide instructions	2014	Roskomnadzor
Facebook	facebook.com	Blocked protest event page	2014	Roskomnadzor
Dumb Ways to Die	Various	Blocked as “suicide propaganda”	2014	Roskomnadzor
Children-404	Various	Blocked for promoting homosexuality among teens	2015	Roskomnadzor
Jehovah’s Witnesses	jw.org	Banned throughout Russia	2015	Russian Government
Reddit	reddit.com	Blocked due to post about growing Psilocybe mushrooms	2015	Roskomnadzor
Wikipedia	en.wikipedia.org	Articles related to drugs and suicide	2015	Roskomnadzor
Rutracker.org	rutracker.org	Permanently blocked	2016	Roskomnadzor
LinkedIn	linkedin.com	User data stored outside Russia	2016	Moscow Court, Roskomnadzor
Dailymotion	dailymotion.com	Blocked	2017	Roskomnadzor
LINE	line.me	Blocked	2017	Roskomnadzor
Telegram	telegram.org	Refused FSB access	2018	Russian Court, FSB
Interview about stoicism	Various	Alleged “propaganda of suicide”	2019	Roskomnadzor
Proton Mail, Tutanota, Mailfence	Various	Blocked for sending fake bomb threats	2020	Russian Government
Alexei Navalny’s website	Various	Blocked for promoting Smart Voting	2021	Russian Government
Tor	torproject.org	Blocked to some users	December 2021	Roskomnadzor
BBC News Russian, Deutsche Welle, RFE/RL, Twitter	Various	Restricted to curtail dissemination of opposing info	March 2022	Roskomnadzor, Russian Government
VKontakte	vk.com	Government became major stakeholder	December 2021	Russian Government
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl	stalkergame.com	Unknown	2023	Roskomnadzor
Google News, Patriot media group, Wagner Group	Various	Blocked during Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion	June 2023	Roskomnadzor
Foreign messengers (Discord, etc.)	N/A	Banned in government agencies and organizations	2023	Roskomnadzor
Kyrgyz news agency 24.ky	24.kg	Blocked	2023	Roskomnadzor
Archive.org	archive.org	Blocked	2024	Roskomnadzor
Archive.ec	archive.ec	Blocked	2024	Roskomnadzor
Archive.is	archive.is	Blocked	2024	Roskomnadzor
Bodog.eu	bodog.eu	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Bovada.lv	bovada.lv	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Bwin.com	bwin.com	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Deviantart.com	deviantart.com	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Ej.ru	ej.ru	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Flibusta.is	flibusta.is	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Heritagesports.eu	heritagesports.eu	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Ladbrokes.com	ladbrokes.com	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Nicovideo.jp	nicovideo.jp	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Paddypower.com	paddypower.com	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Pornhubcasino.com	pornhubcasino.com	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Pornhub.ru	pornhub.ru	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Thebetwaygroup.com	thebetwaygroup.com	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Unibet-1.com	unibet-1.com	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Williamhill.com	williamhill.com	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Xvideosru.com	xvideosru.com	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
YouTube (some videos or channels)	youtube.com	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government
Zello.com	zello.com	Reason unknown	2024	Russian Government

Over 35,000 websites were blocked in 2024 for violating gambling and lottery legislations. Though, most of the blocked websites were related to extremism, pornography, suicide, drugs, and alcohol.

Internet Censorship in Russia

Internet censorship was enforced in Russia in 2012 based on different laws and mechanisms. In the same year, the country enforced a mandatory provision where the government can maintain a single register for the internet blacklist. The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications and Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) was the responsible wing of the government to handle the whole process.

• The Russian government employs a list to censor individual URLs, domain names, and IP addresses.
• The government was targeting drug abuse, suicide methods, and child pornography in the initial stage. After some years, thay expanded the laws to include materials classified as extremist.
• There are rules to stop people from messing with the media too much. This means they can shut down websites that the government does not like.
• An another law was enforced from March 2019 that says if any person share the fake news or disrespect the government online, you could get fined.
• The European Court of Human Rights ruled against Russia for violating freedom of speech by blocking critical websites, including those critical of the government in 2022.
• Since 2014, Reporters Without Borders has been watching Russia closely. They say Russia does some sneaky stuff online, especially when it comes to politics and social stuff.
• Russia and China have been working together since about 2015 to control what people can see online.
• They have been copying China’s way of keeping an eye on what people do on the internet.
• Roskomnadzor is a government wing which can stop people from watching certain things online without asking the court. This includes the contents like talking about protests, extreme ideas, or sharing things that are not yours.
• Companies that give people internet in Russia have to make sure they are not showing anything that is illegal. If they do, they could get in trouble for it.

Agenda Of Blocking Websites in Russia

As per the government logic, Russia wants to make sure the internet follows the rules and stays safe for everyone. Here are some agendas of the website blocking in Russia as mentioned below.

• Russia stops some websites to control what people see online.
• The main aim of blocking websites is to prevent certain types of content that authorities do not want people to see.
• This includes stopping websites with information about drugs or ways to hurt yourself.
• Also, websites promoting extreme ideas or saying mean things and violence are often stopped.
• Russia wants to stop the spread of lies and fake news by blocking websites known for spreading false or wrong information.
• Websites that say bad things about the government or disagree with what officials say might also be blocked to stop different opinions.
• News outlets that tell lies or do not show respect to officials might have to shut down or face other punishments.
• Russia also stops websites with illegal stuff, like pictures of kids being hurt, to protect people, especially kids, from being harmed.
• Websites that tell people to do illegal things, copy other people’s work without asking, or try to make people protest might also be stopped to keep society calm.
• Companies that give people internet in Russia have to stop them from seeing bad stuff, and they work with the government to make sure it happens.
• Decisions to stop websites are often made with help from different government groups, like the police and people who make rules.
• The government says stopping websites is important to keep the country safe and protect people.
• Websites with adult stuff or showing things that might not be okay for kids might have some rules to make sure kids can not see them.
• Social media sites might not work in some places or might be shut down for a while to stop people from sharing too much information.

Impact of the Censorship

Here are some major impacts of the internet censorship as mentioned below.

Blocking George Soros’ Websites

• George Soros is a philanthropist who gives money to help others. He had his own websites those were stopped in Russia after laws were made in late 2015.
• These laws let the Prosecutor General’s Office stop websites they did not like without saying why.

The German Marshall Fund’s Website Stopped

• The German Marshall Fund is a group in America that thinks about things. Their website was blocked in March 2018.
• The Open Russia and the National Endowment for Democracy’s websites were blocked because they were tagged as “undesirable organizations.”

Trying to Stop Smart Voting

• Ahead of the State Duma elections, there were so many efforts made to suppress Alexei Navalny’s Smart Voting website and app.
• The government also blocked some other sites including securing a trademark on “Smart Voting” and pressuring tech companies to censor related content.

Making Internet Control Stronger During the Ukraine Invasion

• During Russia Ukraine war, government made it harder to use the internet.
• They stopped foreign and independent news websites like BBC News and Twitter.
• They also went after people who changed Wikipedia articles about the war.

Arresting a Wikipedia Editor and Going After Wikipedia Articles

• In March 2022, police in Belarus arrested Mark Bernstein, who is known for editing Wikipedia.
• Bernstein was accused by the police of spreading negative information about Russia through his edits.
• Following Bernstein’s arrest, Russia began targeting Wikipedia articles.
• Search engines were instructed by Russian authorities to flag Wikipedia as violating their laws from April to July 2022.

List Of Wikipedia Articles Banned In Russia – Russia Ukraine War

Here are the list of articles those are banned in Russia as the tagged them “Unreliable”.

Article Name	Decision and Number	Reason	Reason Number	Registration and Blocking Date
Russian invasion of Ukraine	558144-HB [note 1]	17.05.2022	27-31-2022/Треб598-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
List of aircraft losses during the Russo-Ukrainian War	633973-HB [note 2]	06.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид14136-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Rashism	558145-HB [note 3]	17.05.2022	27-31-2022/Треб598-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
331st Guards Airborne Regiment	554389-HB [note 4]	11.05.2022	27-31-2022/Треб565-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
64th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade	818021-HB [note 5]	19.06.2023	27-31-2023/Треб375-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Air strike on a hospital in Mariupol	706111-HB [note 6]	25.01.2023	27-31-2023/Ид936-2	Prosecutor General’s Office
Azov Battalion	710573-HB [note 7]	27.01.2023	27-31-2023/Ид937-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Annexation of occupied territories of Ukraine (2022)	655061-HB [note 8]	10.11.2022	27-31-2022/Ид16140-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
People’s Will Army	710568-HB [note 7]	27.01.2023	27-31-2023/Ид937-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Bahmut	764097-HB [note 6]	17.04.2023	27-31-2023/Треб160-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Belarus and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine	647515-HB [note 9]	26.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15180-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battle for Donbass (since 2022)	734571-HB [note 10]	11.03.2023	27-31-2023/Треб76-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battle for Kyiv (2022)	647544-HB [note 11]	26.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15180-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battle for Kyiv (2022)	512611-HB [note 12]	04.04.2022	27-31-2022/Ид4445-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Mariupol Blockade	647541-HB [note 11]	26.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15180-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Military operations in southern Ukraine (2022)	734574-HB [note 13]	11.03.2023	27-31-2023/Треб76-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battles for Akhtyrka	647542-HB [note 11]	26.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15180-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battles for Bucha	647546-HB [note 11]	26.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15180-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battles for Vasylkiv	647547-HB [note 11]	26.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15180-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battles for Volnovakha	647539-HB [note 11]	26.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15180-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battles for Irpin	647545-HB [note 11]	26.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15180-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battles for Izyum	650911-HB [note 14]	01.11.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15637-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battles for Mariupol (2022)	650905-HB [note 14]	01.11.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15637-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battles for Mykolaiv (2022)	650917-HB [note 14]	01.11.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15637-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battles for Snake Island	706113-HB [note 15]	25.01.2023	27-31-2023/Ид936-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battles for Sumy	647543-HB [note 11]	26.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15180-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battles for Kharkiv (2022)	543254-HB [note 16]	27.04.2022	27-31-2022/Треб530-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battles for Kherson (2022)	650916-HB [note 14]	01.11.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15637-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Battles for Enerhodar	650923-HB [note 14]	01.11.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15637-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Bombing of Mariupol Theater	749711-HB [note 17]	29.03.2023	27-31-2023/Ид4689-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Bucha (town)	693370-HB [note 6]	10.01.2023	27-31-2023/Ид36-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
War crimes during the Russian invasion of Ukraine	512612-HB [note 12]	04.04.2022	27-31-2022/Ид4445-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Genocide of Ukrainians during the Russian invasion of Ukraine	607161-HB [note 18]	11.08.2022	27-31-2022/Ид11168-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine	647520-HB [note 19]	26.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15180-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (2022)	501025-HB [note 20]	28.03.2022	27-31-2020/Ид3970-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Wagner Group	655284-HB [note 11]	10.11.2022	27-31-2022/Ид16140-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia	779064-HB [note 21]	04.05.2023	27-31-2023/Треб210-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Jamaat Tabligh	710570-HB [note 22]	27.01.2023	27-31-2023/Ид937-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Donetsk People’s Republic	743945-HB [note 23]	22.03.2023	27-31-2023/Ид4263-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Legality of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (2022)	701104-HB [note 24]	20.01.2023	27-31-2023/Ид684-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant	650925-HB [note 14]	01.11.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15637-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Capture of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant	650920-HB [note 14]	01.11.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15637-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Foreign military aid to Ukraine during the war in Donbass	647534-HB [note 24]	26.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15180-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Ukraine’s lawsuit against Russia in the UN International Court (2022)	647537-HB [note 11]	26.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15180-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Use of phosphorus bombs during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine	566661-HB [note 25]	27.05.2022	27-31-2022/Треб646-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
History of Lysychansk	834340-HB [note 6]	04.07.2023	27-31-2023/Треб490-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war by beheading	772274-HB [note 8]	28.04.2023	27-31-2023/Треб198-23	Prosecutor General’s Office
Kyiv Offensive (2022)	647528-HB [note 11]	26.10.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15180-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast (2022)	650912-HB [note 14]	01.11.2022	27-31-2022/Ид15637-22	Prosecutor General’s Office
Counteroffensive in Kherson Oblast (2022)	734573-HB [note 26]	11.03.2023	27-31-2023/Треб76-23	Prosecutor General’s Office

List Of Mobile Apps Banned In Russia

Here are the mobile applications name those are blocked in Russia.

App Name	Reason for Ban	Date of Ban
TikTok	Spreading anti-government sentiment	20 April 2022
Twitter	Failing to comply with Russian regulations	16 March 2023
Facebook	Alleged involvement in political dissent	25 August 2023
Instagram	Failure to remove “illegal content” promptly	5 November 2023
Telegram	Refusal to hand over user data to Russian authorities	10 February 2024

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Summary – List of Websites Blocked in Russia

The Russian government has blocked a wide range of websites, impacting various content like news, social media, and even online tools. Major global platforms like BBC News, Twitter, and certain Wikipedia articles faced restrictions, especially during political events or the Ukraine invasion. Even technology platforms like YouTube, though not completely blocked, have seen certain videos or channels restricted. Despite international criticism and rulings against these actions for stifling free speech, Russia continues to enforce internet censorship for content it deems illegal or harmful, including discussions on political dissent, drug use, and extremism. The approach aims to control the digital landscape, influencing public opinion and maintaining social order, but also raises concerns about digital rights and freedom of expression.

FAQs on List of Websites Blocked in Russia

What websites did Russia block?

In March 2022, amid its invasion of Ukraine, Russia began to increasingly block international news outlets such as BBC News Russian, Deutsche Welle, and RFE/RL (including Current Time), and Twitter was “restricted”.

Is YouTube blocked in Russia?

In his campaign to control what ordinary Russians can learn about the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has made a notable exception. He has blocked or restricted Facebook, Twitter, and most other Western-based social media sites.

Is Google still available in Russia?

Yes, Google is available in Russia, although it’s not as popular there as in the rest of the globe.

Is WhatsApp allowed in Russia?

Yes, WhatsApp is currently allowed in Russia and is a popular messaging app used by many Russians

Can I use my phone in Russia?

Generally, the most convenient way to use a mobile in Russia is simply to take your usual cell phone. Whatever operator you are with, you will need to make sure that international roaming is available on your package, and that Russia is covered within this package.

Has Amazon blocked Russia?

The company suspended shipment of retail products to customers based in Russia and Belarus, and will no longer be accepting new Russia and Belarus-based AWS sign-ups and Amazon third-party sellers. It is also suspending access to Prime Video for customers based in Russia.

Does Gmail work in Russia?

Yes, you can send an email to someone in Russia using Gmail. However, there are a few things to keep in mind. Emails may be delayed or blocked: Due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, there is a possibility that emails sent to Russia may be delayed or blocked.