YouTube users in Russia are reporting widespread issues accessing the video platform. The site appears to be completely shut down, with users unable to connect on both computers and mobile devices. Over 5,000 complaints have been registered so far, spanning regions including Moscow, St.
🇷🇺 ECPMF urges the authorities of #Russia to allow citizens to receive and impart information both online and offline without barriers. The arbitrary throttling of the Internet frequently targets Russian media abroad and violates Article 19 of the ICCPR: https://t.co/oTO0qbiwWX pic.twitter.com/IcWtrsWVJl
— European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (@ECPMF) August 8, 2024
Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Saratov, Samara, Krasnodar, and occupied Crimea. When attempting to visit YouTube, users are met with a message indicating a lack of connection.
YouTube's failure in Russia affects other services as well
Along with the peak of reports that YouTube slowed down so much that it stopped working at all, a similar pattern was observed on other sites and services in Russia. pic.twitter.com/6jiLdpfI0l
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 8, 2024
Russian authorities have recently mandated major telecommunications operators to slow down YouTube video playback speeds to 128 kilobits per second.
This move is likely contributing to the current accessibility problems.
❗️ BREAKING: YouTube has partially stopped working in Russia
Russians are complaining en masse that access to both the mobile app and the desktop version has disappeared. pic.twitter.com/K7Mp3DmDLs
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 8, 2024
YouTube, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, remains one of the few large Western platforms still operating in Russia that allows relatively free expression.
YouTube outage across Russia persists
The Russian authorities have suddenly escalated their YouTube throttling to an outright access shutdown for many users across the country, on both desktop and mobile. Pity the parents who rely on Google’s streaming service as a free babysitter. https://t.co/inyEp0VmyW
— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) August 8, 2024
The site continues to host content from Kremlin opponents, while such material has largely been removed from other popular social media sites in the country. In recent weeks, Russian officials have been critical of YouTube. Lawmakers attribute slowed download speeds to YouTube’s alleged reluctance to invest in local infrastructure like cache servers, a claim the company disputes.
Alexander Khinshtein, head of a parliamentary committee on information policy, previously warned that YouTube speeds could drop by up to 70%. He framed the slowdown as a “necessary step” to address a foreign platform that he claims disregards Russian legislation. A YouTube spokesperson acknowledged last week that some Russian users were experiencing access issues, but stressed these problems were not due to any technical actions on their part.
Both Google and Russia’s state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor have not yet responded to requests for comment on the current outage. The mass YouTube shutdown comes amid an escalating crackdown by Russian authorities on online platforms and freedom of expression. As one of the last remaining outlets for dissenting voices, many are closely watching to see if the video site will remain accessible in the country.
