Russia is blocking YouTube by throttling internet speed

In recent weeks, the Russian government has been highly critical of YouTube. The video platform is one of the few in the country that allows content related to opponents of the Kremlin. In response, Russia is blocking access to YouTube through severe internet speed throttling.

According to reports, YouTube is virtually unusable in Russia at the moment. Apparently, the government is not implementing a full ISP-level block. Instead, they are reducing internet speed to prevent video playback and uploading. Internet connections are said to be throttled to as low as 128 Kbps upon detecting a YouTube-related URL or domain.

Russian government blocks YouTube for not removing opposition-related content

The Russian government does not like oppositionists being able to upload content freely. As reported by Reuters, many of the most popular social platforms have removed such videos or posts to avoid retaliation. However, YouTube continues to ignore requests to remove content without proper reasons.

Initially, Russia tried to blame Google for poor internet speeds and performance on YouTube. However, the Mountain View giant quickly denied the accusations, stating that the problem was not on its side. That said, a Russian government official had already warned about the measure against YouTube. Alexander Khinshtein, head of a parliamentary committee on information policy, mentioned that they would implement an internet speed throttling of up to 70% when accessing the platform.

At that time, Khinshtein said that the measure was “a necessary step, directed not against Russian users, but against the administration of a foreign resource that still believes it can violate and ignore our legislation without punishment.” It is unclear whether the Russian government will take similar measures against other Google services in the country.

There are people who have been able to bypass internet speed throttling by using a VPN. There are also certain mobile devices where the platform continues to function correctly. It remains to be seen whether the blocking of YouTube in Russia will be permanent, or if it is just a temporary coercive attempt.