Users across Russia began experiencing significant declines in YouTube loading speeds on Thursday, according to various online monitoring platforms. This follows criticism from Russian authorities toward the video streaming site for not reinstating pro-Kremlin channels.
Monitoring services such as Downdetector, Brand Analytics, and Sboi.rf reported spikes in YouTube outages across Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other major Russian cities and regions over the past 12 hours.
The disruptions occurred after Russia’s state-owned telecom giant warned that YouTube would slow down due to “technical problems” resulting from Google’s withdrawal of equipment from the country. A senior lawmaker later claimed that YouTube download speeds on desktop browsers would decrease by 70%.
These warnings coincided with a demand from Russia’s state media regulator, Roskomnadzor, for Google CEO Sundar Pichai to restore over 200 YouTube channels belonging to pro-government Russian media, authorities, and other public figures.
“YouTube is kaput. Nothing is lost,” Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russia’s state-funded broadcaster RT, posted on social media.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday that YouTube was “working as normal” and that “everything was loading” on his phone.
Google, which owns YouTube, has not publicly commented on the reported throttling of the platform in Russia. Over the past decade, YouTube has become a critical platform for dissenting voices as the Kremlin has tightened its grip on internet and media freedoms.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, authorities have accused YouTube and Google of spreading “terrorist” anti-war content, fueling speculation that the video-streaming website could be blocked entirely.
YouTube has already suspended monetization and all payment-based services in Russia due to the war in Ukraine.
