Russia’s Digital Development Ministry tries to crack down on banned sites masked in ‘white lists’
Russia’s Digital Development Ministry has begun cracking down on “white list” sites that carry “content banned in Russia,” including “advertising for VPN services,” the Russian business news outlet RBC reported.
The ministry sent hosting providers, web protection services, and CDN providers a letter asking them to move the IP addresses of “white list” resources into separate subnets, according to the outlet.
The move is meant to “rule out the possibility of using IP addresses” from the so-called white list by “organizations that have not received the appropriate approval.”
One of the outlet’s sources said unrelated sites can indeed end up on the “white lists.” Companies vet sites when they first connect, but the sites can later change their content: “first register as an online store, and then post a VPN or something else in the gray zone,” he said.
So-called “white lists” — sites that must remain accessible during mobile internet shutdowns — first appeared in Russia in the fall of 2025. The Digital Development Ministry regularly updates the list of approved sites.
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