Russia uses new website blocking method as YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp Web, and independent media “disappear” from state DNS system

Out of 50 websites checked by Na Svyazi, 13 had no entries in the NSDI, meaning Russian users whose providers rely on the system cannot access those resources. The list includes sites that are not officially blocked in Russia, but which have been slowed. No such disruptions were observed when using alternative DNS providers.

Among the domains tested by Na Svyazi that return an “unresolved” status through the NSDI were:

When users try to open the above websites, the browser responds with a DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error, which means that the domain name does not exist. In effect, the IP addresses for these resources have been manually removed from the NSDI directory.

Experts say this is an example of so-called DNS tampering — interference in the domain name system through deletion of records. The method had previously been used selectively, for example during the blocking of Discord and Signal in 2024. This, however, is the first time a mass removal has been recorded.

For now, the issue affects the NSDI specifically, while other DNS providers continue to function normally. At present, the use of VPNs helps bypass the restrictions.

As of the time of publication, there had been no official comments from Russian authorities or NSDI representatives regarding the situation.