The government had slowed the platform in response to bans on Russian channels accused of “propaganda.” Service was restored Thursday after a filmmaker appealed directly to Vladimir Putin.
YouTube’s functionality was restored in Russia on Thursday after months of reduced service speed, following President Vladimir Putin’s commitment to address the issue, Russian media reported. Russian users had reported disruptions with the platform, owned by U.S. tech giant Google, since the summer, after Russian authorities had threatened to limit its speed.
The government, which has already blocked or slowed several U.S.-based social media platforms in Russia, criticized Google for banning Russian channels accused of spreading “propaganda.” Russian film director Karen Shakhnazarov, head of the Mosfilm studio, stated that he raised concerns directly with Putin during a meeting the previous day. “Slowing down YouTube doesn’t make sense in my opinion,” Shakhnazarov remarked on Russian television, confirming his discussion with Putin. “He listened and said, ‘I’ll take care of it; I’ll look into it,'” he added.
Western websites increasingly banned
By Thursday evening, Russian media confirmed that YouTube was operating normally again. According to internet censorship watchdog GlobalCheck, the platform was fully accessible across Russia’s major internet service providers. Since the conflict in Ukraine began in 2022, Russian authorities have intensified control over the internet, banning numerous Western sites and social media platforms where critics previously had a voice, including Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). Earlier in October, authorities also blocked the discussion platform Discord.
These sites, however, remain accessible within Russia through VPNs, although the government is now also targeting these bypassing tools in its ongoing efforts to restrict access to unauthorized content.
