Since February 24 this year, Russia has blocked hundreds of websites and services, causing nation-wide distress as well as outcry from advocates of free speech. Russia’s latest cyber blockade is focused around, but not limited to, streaming services and news outlets.
According to statements made by Russian officials, the bans are being implemented to counter the spread of fake news and rumors created online.
During the last week, Russians lost access to many of their favourite websites and services. It’s worth noting that most of the news outlets and social media websites have been blocked by the Russian state itself, rather than the service provider – although that is also the case in some instances. Here is a list of some of the most popular websites and services that are currently inaccessible in Russia.
Social media services blocked in Russia
| Service / Website | Blocked by | Blocked on |
| Russia | March 4, 2022- Source | |
| Russia | March 4, 2022- Source | |
| TikTok | Service owner | March 7 ,2022- Source |
| Line | Russia | Apr 28, 2017 – Source |
| Russia | May 8, 2017 – Source | |
| Russia | May 17, 2017 – Source |
Streaming services blocked in Russia
| Service / Website | Blocked by | Blocked on |
| Netflix | Service owner | Mar 7, 2022- Source |
| DailyMotion | Service owner | Jan 27, 2017- Source |
| YouTube | Service owner | Mar 7, 2022 – Source |
| Disney | Service owner | Mar 1, 2022 – Source |
| Warner Brothers/HBO | Service owner | Mar 1, 2022 – Source |
| Paramount Pictures | Russia | Mar 1, 2022 – Source |
| Sony | Service owner | Mar 1, 2022 – Source |
News websites and services blocked in Russia
| Service / Website | Blocked by | Blocked on |
| BBC | Russia | Mar 4, 2022 – Source |
| Deutsche Welle | Russia | Mar 4, 2022 – Source |
| Maduza | Russia | Mar 3, 2022 – Source |
| Radio Free Europe | Russia | Mar 4, 2022 – Source |
| Agentstvo | Russia | Mar 5, 2022 – Source |
| Snob.ru | Russia | Mar 5, 2022 – Source |
| Republic | Russia | Mar 5, 2022 – Source |
| Mediazona | Russia | Mar 5, 2022 – Source |
Online payments and cryptocurrency services blocked in Russia
| Service / Website | Blocked by | Blocked on |
| PayPal | Service owner | March 5, 2022 – Source |
| LocalBitcoins | Russia | Oct 16, 2020 – Source |
| Cointelegraph | Russia | Oct 16, 2020 – Source |
| Binance | Russia | Sep 24, 2020 – Source |
| BestChange | Russia | Aug 26, 2020- Source |
| VISA | Service owner | Mar 5, 2022- Source |
| MasterCard | Service owner | Mar 5, 2022 – Source |
Other services blocked in Russia
| Service / Website | Blocked by | Blocked on |
| deviantart.com | Russia | Aug 5, 2014 |
| ej.ru | Russia | Mar 13, 2014 |
| flibusta.is | Russia | Sep 22, 2016 |
| nicovideo.jp | Russia | Oct 23, 2019 – Source |
| williamhill.com | Service owner | Sep 29, 2016 – Source |
| zello.com | Russia | Apr 12, 2017 – Source |
| ProtonMail | Russia | Jan 29, 2020 – Source |
| StartMail | Russia | Jan 22, 2020 – Source |
How to access blocked websites and services
Are you in Russia and want to access these websites and services? With the right tools, you can. All you need is to change your IP address to another country.
When you access any website, your IP address reveals your location to the website. Your location determines if you would be able to access the website or not.
A VPN can help you change your location by masking your real IP address with a new one based on the location of your choice. Just connect to a VPN, choose a new location and access these websites and services easily.
Regain online freedom with a premium VPN
When choosing a VPN service, it’s important to understand what features the VPN is offering. Most free VPN services claim to unblock the internet. Free VPNs, however, are not just ineffective, but also extremely dangerous to your digital privacy and online security.
A premiere service like PureVPN is the safest and most reliable one that can provide you instant access to any website or service which is not available in your region.
Here is how you can access any website or service with PureVPN:
- Sign up for PureVPN
- Get PureVPN for your device
- Launch the app, connect, and change location
That’s it! You can now access your favourite content without any limitations and restrictions. For more details on how to access different websites and services click here.
