‘It’s safe, and it won’t affect your device’: Russia’s pitch for its homegrown internet certificates
Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development is urging internet users to install domestically produced SSL certificates so that Russian websites will continue to load properly in foreign web browsers. The ministry said the move was safe and would not affect how devices function, according to the business daily RBC.
To maintain secure access to Russian websites, online stores, banks, marketplaces and other resources, we recommend installing the Ministry of Digital Development’s security certificates. Yandex Browser already has the domestic security certificate built in.
The ministry advised users to find the certificates, along with installation instructions, on the Gosuslugi state services portal.
RBC journalists said people using foreign browsers such as Chrome, Safari, or Edge are now unable to access some Russian websites, as global certificate authorities continue revoking certificates from Russian companies — they run into connection errors or warnings that the site isn’t secure.
It became known in mid-June that GlobalSign, a Japanese company that issues digital security certificates, had started forcibly revoking those certificates from Russian firms. Sources who spoke with RBC said the move threatened 15,000 to 20,000 second-level domains.
It remains unclear exactly how many companies have been affected so far. Days later, GlobalSign added more than 300 domains belonging to 44 companies to its revocation list, including websites operated by Rosneft, Gazprombank, Alrosa, ANO Dialog, VEB.RF, and others.
Two months earlier, GlobalSign revoked the certificate of Telega, an unofficial Telegram client. Telega was later removed from the App Store, and in late June, its developers said they were shutting down the project.
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